A Lot to Learn
by HereGoes
Summary: The Z gang works at a high school! Bulma enjoys teaching science and occasionally butts heads with a certain spiky haired history teacher. B/V get together with some CC/G and 18/K. May seem a little weird at first but give it a chance!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey! This is my first attempt at a fanfic so comments are appreciated! Basically, the Z gang are all high school teachers! To be honest, I'm not crazy about the title. I just couldn't think of anything good so if you have a better one please let me know! There are probably going to be some made up characters (students, other teachers, etc) but they won't be too important. I'm going to try to keep them as in character as possible. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

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**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter 1

Bulma was getting more and more irritated by the second. _These faculty meetings get more useless every week_, she thought to herself. Looking up at the clock she noticed it was 7:20 in the morning. _Ten more minutes…_

At the front of the room the vice principal, Piccolo, spoke about the schedule for the rest of the week, his voice getting tenser with annoyance as he finished each sentence, trying to ignore the snores growing louder beside him. Slumped in the chair next to him dozing was Principal Roshi.

"…and finally we need to talk about chaperoning the dance this Friday." Piccolo grabbed a marker and started writing on the white board behind him.

"Why don't we have the old man do it," a husky voice said grumpily, "that is if he can stay awake through the whole thing…" The history teacher and football coach, Vegeta was clearly agitated. He would have preferred to be in the weight room with his football team, making sure they weren't slacking off.

Sensing he was being talked about, Roshi snapped out of his slumber. "Say what now?"

"Nice of you to join us, sir", said Piccolo, glaring at his superior. He turned back to the room full of teachers. "We'll divide up the night into shifts with teachers in groups of three. If eight or more of you volunteer then none of us will have to stay at this thing for very long."

The librarian, Chi Chi, spoke up first. "Well then go ahead and give me the first shift. I might as well get it over with." She turned to the gym teacher sitting on her right. He was spreading cream cheese on his fifth bagel. "What d'ya say, Goku? You wanna join?"

"Sure! I don't mind! I actually think these dances are kinda fun!" Goku smiled as he took a bite of his bagel.

Another teacher volunteered as well and Piccolo wrote their names on the board.

"Any other takers?" Piccolo questioned. "Come on people! Look, I'll even take the last shift. I want to make sure things get cleaned up properly anyway. And since Roshi's nodded off again I'm going to assume he doesn't care if I put him on the board. He'll be last shift with me."

"Wait a minute!" snapped Roshi, once again jerking from sleep. He seemed to have a knack for knowing when he was being talked about. "How do you know I don't have plans? Maybe I had a hot date or something!"

"Your dirty magazines will still be waiting for you when you get home," retorted Piccolo causing a few giggles to spread through the room. "Now if we could please continue…

Bulma leaned over to Chi Chi and whispered, "It's so hard to believe that that old perv was one of the most respected teachers of his day…"

"I'm going to assume you're whispering about volunteering, Ms. Briefs." Piccolo was getting annoyed with the lack of volunteers.

"Alright, alright! Jeez! Now I know what my students feel like! I'll take the second shift but only if…" Bulma looked around the room and spotted a cute English teacher, "…Mr. Dylan will volunteer too!"

The young teacher blushed. "Uh yeah sure!" he said a little beside himself. Did the gorgeous science teacher just ask him out?

"I don't think Yamcha would be too pleased to see you picking up a guy," Chi Chi joked to her friend.

Bulma giggled, "Oh lay off! It's harmless! I just need something nice to look at while I'm there."

Vegeta, who had been impatiently tapping his foot for the last five minutes, jumped from his seat. "It's 7:30 which means this meeting is over. I'm leaving!" But as he turned to go Piccolo called after him, "No one is going anywhere until this gets settled. If you want to leave then I'm going to put you down for the second shift with Ms. Briefs and Mr. Dylan."

"Fine!" Vegeta growled and exited.

_Great! _Bulma thought to herself, sarcastically, _and just when I was getting excited about this thing… _

"If I volunteer can I leave too?" A cool voice butted in. "My students have a test today and I told them I would meet with them before class if they have any questions." The beautiful blonde math teacher stood from her chair, crossing her arms.

"That's fine, 18. You can go. I'll put you down for the third shift." Piccolo said as she turned to go.

"Uh well…you know what… I'll do it too." Krillin said nervously. 18 was passing him as he volunteered and she stopped to look at him emotionlessly for a few seconds, making the little English teacher blush, before she continued on her way.

"Great!" Piccolo's tone was getting a bit lighter but still held its usual gruffness. As he turned to put Krillin on the board he randomly picked another teacher for the sake of ending this meeting debacle and added him to the shift as well. "Alright, that's it then! Don't forget when you're supposed to show up and grab your calendars on the way out."

"You know what?" Bulma said as she walked out of the meeting room and into the hall with Chi Chi, Goku, and Krillin. "I think at the next Monday meeting I'm going to bring up how pointless these Monday meetings are."

"I'll second it!" laughed Chi Chi.

They walked until they reached the Library then headed their separate ways, Chi Chi going into the library, Goku heading to the Gym, and Bulma and Krillin heading to their respective classrooms.

"Hey babe!" a head poked out of one of the classrooms Bulma was walking by.

"Yamcha! I didn't know you were subbing today!"

"Yeah, Mrs. Hill got food poisoning or something so I'll be just down the hall from you," Yamcha said with a smile, "I'm just showing her classes a movie so feel free to visit me when you're not busy!" She gave him a peck on the lips and continued down the hall to her class.

When Bulma reached her room at 7:45 she chatted with her students until the bell rang at 8:00, signaling her to start class. For a science teacher, Bulma was very well liked. The girls respected her brains and fashion sense and the boys thought she was hot as hell. Having a famous father and being one of the most respected geniuses in the country didn't really hurt her case either. Because of her prominence, it took time for students to get over their initial awe of her. Bulma would have to answer the same questions every year: How many rooms does your house have? Do you have like a million cars? Why do you teach when you could be doing cooler things? Do they pay a ton of money to keep you here? Are you single?

The truth was that Bulma had gotten sick of working at Capsule Corp. Part of her loved the thrill of making new discoveries and inventing but she was bored of working on ways to expand the capsule's design and uses, which seemed to be a majority of the work she was doing for her father. Teaching had always been a welcome diversion. Even before working at West City High, she used to give guest lectures at universities, so she decided to devote herself to it. Many prestigious universities sought her out upon hearing that she wanted to teach but she turned them down. She liked being able to create relationships with her students and felt she couldn't do that with classes of 200 or more.

Of course, Bulma could never give up hands-on science altogether. She still spent her extra time working on projects of her choosing, without the pressure of deadlines weighing down on her.

First and second period went on as usual. Bulma was giving her students a quiz today and then letting them finish their lab assignments from the day before so she didn't really have to do much. Third period was her study hall class and she used that time to grade the quizzes she had given so far.

When fourth period rolled around Bulma noticed that a good portion of her class was missing.

She questioned her class, "Where is everyone? I know all these people aren't absent…in fact, I saw Clay at his locker earlier today." She turned to Lee, the kid that usually sat next to Clay and asked, "Is something happening?"

Lee, who had been texting under his desk, looked up at his teacher. "They were in Mr. Prince's class before this. He's making them stay there."

Bulma clenched her fists. _Of course this is Vegeta's doing… damnit what gives him the right to hold up my class?! _ Trying to keep her anger hidden, she addressed her class, "Alright, consider yourselves lucky, class! You get a little bit of study time before today's quiz. I'll be back soon." Stomping heatedly out of her classroom, Bulma headed down the hall to Vegeta's room. When she got there she saw students sitting in the hallway doing their homework.

"What's going on here?" Bulma demanded, trying to keep the annoyance out of her tone—she couldn't.

"We're waiting for Mr. Prince to let us into study hall," one of the students responded.

"Why don't you just go in? Your class should have already started?"

Another student spoke up this time. "Doing homework on the hallway floor is a hell of a lot better than a weeks worth of detention."

"Watch your language" Bulma said as she pressed her ear to the door.

"Please Mr. Prince! Don't take my phone! It's brand new!" begged Clay

"Well you should have thought about that before! There are no phones aloud in my classroom!" Vegeta's bad mood from earlier that morning had not yet dissipated. "Just because you hide your phones under your sweaters doesn't mean I can't see them! Honestly, you kids today are addicted to these silly gadgets…"

The class braced themselves for another one of their grumpy teachers drawn out rants when, like a gift from the gods, there was a knock on the door.

Bulma didn't wait to be invited in. She opened the door and immediately addressed the compact figure at the head of the class. "Vegeta, what's the deal? Thrid period is over!"

"I am aware of the time", replied Vegeta, briskly. He glanced over at the irate woman standing at his doorway with a smirk. "My students still have some work to do and they are not leaving until it is finished."

Bulma leaned over one of the students to inspect the assignment and almost fell over in shock. "Seventy essay questions?! ARE YOU KIDDING?"

"Originally they only had to do five—that is until they decided to be disrespectful." He sounded as if he was getting some sort of sick pleasure out of the torture he was putting his students through. Bulma wanted to reach over and smack the self-satisfied look off of his face but decided against it, given that they were standing in front of a full classroom.

"Can I talk to you outside?" She said gesturing to the door. Vegeta looked like he wasn't going to move but after a moment's consideration he decided to humor the steamed blue haired woman. Once they stepped outside, Bulma asked the students sitting in the hall to move into the classroom and shut the door behind them.

Vegeta didn't say a word. He wasn't sure what she planned on accomplishing out here but he knew that whatever it was, he wouldn't give in easily. This wasn't the first time he'd butted heads with the insufferable woman and he knew this wouldn't be the last.

Bulma tried to keep her voice steady. She knew Vegeta enjoyed angering her and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he had succeeded. "Why do you insist on making the children miserable?"

"I don't _insist _on doing anything but teaching the brats. If they are going to be insolent then they will have to deal with the consequences!"

"What could they have possibly done? There's a difference between discipline and torture, you know! You don't have to be so harsh!"

"And what would you have me be?" Vegeta's glare intensified and his callous tone caught Bulma off guard "Should I joke with them and meet them after school for a latte? I'm their teacher damnit, not their BFF!"

Bulma opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by an icy voice "Vegeta!"

They both turned to see 18 approaching from the end of the hall. "Where are my students? Apparently they were supposed to be coming from your class."

Krillin and Mr. Dylan appeared from around the corner as well, also looking for their students.

"You see Vegeta!" Bulma said smugly, thankful for the support she had now. "These kid's lives don't revolve around your class! You can't keep them because you feel like torturing them!"

Vegeta growled and turned to his door. He knew he didn't have a choice but he wasn't going to give up completely. When he opened the door he addressed his students sternly. "You are dismissed but I still expect you to complete the questions I have assigned! I will collect them tomorrow."

The students groaned as they moodily put their books in their bags and shuffled out of the classroom. "ENOUGH WHINING!" Vegeta shouted, causing all of them to jump. "I still have another page of questions I can assign!" and with that the students slapped their hands over their mouths and hurried out of the room.

Bulma walked back with her seven students that she had just saved from the grumpiest history teacher on the planet. She looked at Clay beside her who was walking with a slumped posture and looking very sad at the loss of his phone. Bulma touch his shoulder. "Don't worry. He can't keep it forever. What did you guys do to make him so mad anyway…well madder?"

"Don't look at me! I'm not the one with the big mouth!" Clay said, directing the comment to the student on Bulma's other side.

"I didn't mean for him to hear me!" protested Jared

"Everyone that works here has mutant hearing or something!" said another student "I said a bad word under my breath once and Mr. Piccolo gave me detention from across the hall!"

"What did you say, Jared?" Bulma asked, knowing this particular student had a very smart mouth.

"Well, today we were covering Napoleon and Mr. Prince was giving this unbelievably long speech about how great he was and all that—you wouldn't believe how long he talked! Napoleon this, Napoleon that! And then at the end of this crazy boring lecture he tells us that he's actually related to Napoleon! So I leaned over to Clay and said 'well that explains his height problem!' I said it really quiet! I still can't believe he heard me."

Despite herself Bulma let out a chuckle. Regaining her composure she said, "You really should be more respectful of your teachers, Jared…"

Once they got to the classroom the rest of fourth period the students continued class as if nothing had happened. Bulma, however, seemed to be having trouble focusing. Vegeta's ruthless eyes kept entering her mind. _Ugh what an awful man. He's basically ruined my day! _ Thankfully any further thoughts of him were interrupted by the rumbling of Bulma's stomach. _I can't wait for lunch…_

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_Well, there it is! This chapter turned out much longer than I thought it would but it was really fun to write! I feel like some of my grammar may be a bit off so I apologize for that. Feel free to message me if something is really confusing. I'm really anxious to know what you guys think so please review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! They were a wonderful encouragement and made me feel really good! Wolf—I had the same thought about Bulma but I really didn't want to separate her from the rest of the gang by making her a professor so I tried to address that in the last chapter. She likes how teaching high school lets her be closer to her students and affords her more time for personal projects. I hope that's a passable explanation! Anyway, here is chapter 2. Keep the reviews coming and thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z and I never will so this is the last time I'm saying it!

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**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter 2

"Good work today guys! I should have your quizzes graded by tomorrow and I'll be picking up your completed lab sheets then too." Bulma called after her class as they hurried off to lunch. The end of fourth period could not come sooner for her. She was in a bad mood and very hungry.

_I know what'll make me feel better, _She thought as she walked down the hall to Mrs. Hill's room, where Yamcha was substituting, and poked her head in. He was taking a DVD out of the player while a blushing young girl asked him questions. Looking around the room, Bulma saw many of the other girls in the class had found reasons to stay behind. Some were slowly putting books in their bags while others pretended they needed more time making notes but none of them were taking their eyes off Yamcha, or Mr. Yummy as they had affectionately nicknamed him.

"I think you'll have to ask Mrs. Hill that when she gets back…Oh hey babe!" Yamcha called at Bulma, making the girls turn to glare at her. She ignored them and walked up to her boyfriend, putting her arms around his neck as if she was claiming him. "I missed you." Bulma said in a cute voice. She knew she was being unprofessional but she didn't care. These girls had triggered Bulma's possessive side.

The girl who'd been asking him questions stomped out of the room as the others burst into whispers.

"Mr. Yummy is way too good for her!" said one girl in a low voice that wasn't actually that quiet.

"It's such a shame! He's so gorgeous!" said another. If they didn't want Bulma to hear them, they weren't doing a very good job. Bulma clenched her fist and her eye started to twitch.

"I know! He deserves better than that old hag."

"WE'RE THE SAME AGE!" Bulma shouted, causing the girls to jump and scurry out of the room.

"Sorry about that babe," said Yamcha with an embarrassed look on his face, "They were so much nicer a few minutes ago…"

"Don't worry about it," Bulma smiled, "It's nothing compared to what's already happened today! You wanna get lunch? I'll tell you all about it."

"I would but I promised to meet a friend at that new place down the street. You can come if you want…"

"I've only got 30 minutes for lunch there's no way I'll make it back in time," said Bulma looking at Yamcha questioningly. _How does he have the time? And who's this friend…_

As if he could read her mind Yamcha said, "Yeah, Mrs. Hill has a free period after lunch so I have some time to kill. Sorry, you can't come! I'll catch you later!" Yamcha kissed Bulma and headed out the door.

She stood in the middle of the room, watching him go. _Oh well, I guess I can always vent to Chichi or someone. I just hope I don't have to eat alone… _

Thankfully, when Bulma entered the teacher's lounge she was greeted by her friends Goku and Chichi. She laughed at the sight of Goku sitting at the table which was almost completely covered in empty trays. "Are you really already done eating?" she asked.

Goku shrugged and Chichi answered for him. "I think your forgetting that you're talking to a human garbage disposal."

"Hey!" Goku protested, "I don't eat garbage!" Bulma laughed and Chichi gave her man a kiss on the cheek. He could be so adorable sometimes.

"So what's up Bulma?" asked Chichi as she moved to microwave some leftovers.

"Nothing much—well except for the fact that I cannot wait for this day to end!" said Bulma, grabbing her frozen meal out of the freezer and hoisting herself up to sit on the counter next to where Chichi was standing. "Let me know when you're done with the microwave, Chich."

"Yeah, Krillin was just in here telling us about your little run-in with Vegeta before he went on lunchroom duty."

"Then you already know how ridiculous he was being! And all because some kid made fun of his precious ancestor!"

"Well Napoleon was a pretty big deal…right?" Goku said.

"Yes, dear, I guess he was." Chichi answered as she took her food out of the microwave and went to sit by him. Once she made room on the table by rearranging Goku's trays, she began to eat.

"It doesn't give him the right to walk around like royalty! This isn't France, damnit!" Bulma threw her food in the microwave and slammed the door. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Napoleon had like seven siblings who probably had tons of kids. I bet there are a lot of people related to him! Hell, I might be related to Napoleon!"

"I honestly doubt that." Bulma's posture stiffened at the gruff voice coming from behind her.

"Hey Vegeta!" Goku said cheerfully, "We were just talking about you!"

Bulma turned to see her spiky haired enemy making his way to the table holding a tray with a mountain of food. "And what makes you say that?!" She was trying not to shout. It wasn't working very well.

"A strong blood line passes class down to its descendents. It's pretty clear to me that you're descended from nothing more than common trash." Vegeta replied, nonchalantly as he spooned his mash potatoes.

Bulma's eyes widened with shock that very quickly turned to rage. "How DARE you! I—"

"Alright, you two, that is enough! Can we just enjoy our lunch in peace? Jeez!" Chichi looked at Goku for support.

"Yeah! I'm sure if you'd stop fighting for two seconds you'd see how alike you guys are." Chichi gazed at her man with admiration. _He's right, _she thought,_ He may be a bit of a goof but his insight into people is dead on. _

Vegeta let out a harsh laugh, "What other jokes has your woman taught you to recite?"

Goku shrugged off the comment but it garnered a glare from Chichi.

"You're such a jerk, Vegeta!" Bulma was about to start verbally ripping him a new one when she was once again interrupted but this time by a loud popping noise. She turned to the microwave. "Oh crap! My enchilada exploded!" While she had been ranting about Vegeta it seems she had pressed the zero button too hard, causing her to set the time for 40 minutes instead of 4.

"Lunch and a show! HA! What luck!" Vegeta couldn't stop laughing as he watched the blue haired woman struggle to get her hot plate out of the microwave and into the trash can.

"Wait! You're not going to throw that away are you?" Goku eyed the dish with a worried look in his eyes that said 'I'll save you, food!'

"You mean you want this mutilated meal?"

Goku smiled sheepishly. "Well, there's still a bit of it left…"

"It's all yours." Bulma handed it to him with a sigh.

"Here, Bulma," Chichi said, "you can have the rest of my food. I really should get back to the library. You know how Marron gets when I leave her alone in there too long. I swear, dumbest assistant I've ever had…" she drifted off as she gave Goku a quick kiss and headed out the door.

Bulma took Chichi's seat, glaring at Vegeta, who had turned his attention back to his food. He had just finished a chicken leg and was moving on to the huge heap of spaghetti under it. Looking back down at her own food, Bulma found her desire to eat had dissipated. She looked over at Goku, who was scraping off the last bits of melted cheese from the side of Bulma's enchilada plate. "Eat this too," she said, "I've suddenly lost my appetite." She narrowed her eyes on Vegeta but he continued to ignore her. When she left the lounge she slammed the door.

"Gosh, Vegeta you really got under her skin today," said Goku as he greedily gobbled up Chichi's leftovers.

"It isn't my fault the woman lets her emotions get the better of her."

Back in her classroom Bulma threw her head on her desk. The day was barely half over and she already felt exhausted. As she sat there, unable to suppress thoughts of her recent encounter, embarrassment began to settle in the pit of her stomach. _I must have looked so stupid, _she thought as Vegeta's laughter echoed in her head. _He thinks he's so much better than me! That asshole just makes me crazy! _

"No more!" Bulma said, standing up with vigor. "I won't let that jerk get the upper hand anymore! I refuse to lose!"

"Ms. Briefs?"

Bulma turned to see a few of her students standing in the doorway staring at her with raised eyebrows. "Oh! Hey guys! I was just…is lunch over already?"

"Almost…we decided to head down early to see if we could get a head start on our labs."

"That'll be fine!" Bulma said, trying to keep the embarrassment out of her voice.

Once the rest of her fifth period class shuffled in, Bulma felt renewed. After giving them there quiz, she left them to finish their labs while she sat at her desk, doing her best not to think about the jerk that had gotten such a rise out of her.

Bulma paused her grading for a moment to glance around the room. Everyone seemed to be doing their work except for one burly student, who seemed to be napping at his lab table while his scrawny partner did all the work. _Of course, _Bulma thought as she approached, _it's one of Vegeta's football players._

She stood behind him and coughed loudly to wake him. The boy continued to snooze. "Jordan," Bulma said calmly, deciding to keep her cool. She tapped his shoulder. When the football player didn't stir, she finally lost it. "WAKE UP JORDAN!"

Jordan jerked out of sleep, falling out of his stool as his classmates laughed. He looked around, bewildered.

"Young man, this is science class not nap time!" Bulma's volume was bordering on a shout.

"My bad, Ms. B," Jordan said, rubbing the back of his head, "I had to wake up early for foo—"

"No excuses!" Today was not the day to get on Ms. Briefs' bad side. "This isn't the first time I've caught you unloading your share of the work on your partner! I'm giving you a zero on this assignment and—"

"What?! Please, you can't do that! I'm already close to failing and if I do I could get kicked off the team!"

"AND I'm giving you detention where you can think about how to better apply yourself in this class."

"But I have practice! Coach V said no one could miss practice unless their legs were broken and even then we have to sit and watch!"

Bulma began walking back to her desk, suddenly feeling a bit bad for the boy who probably had to deal with Vegeta's abuse on a regular basis. It was too late to take it back now. She did not want the students to think she was a pushover. "I'm afraid that's not my concern. You're just going to have to tell the coach that you'll be missing practice due to your misconduct."

The class was silent for a few moments as Bulma filled out a detention slip and gave Jordan a copy. When she sat down in her chair, the usual dull roar continued and the students turned their attention back to their work. The science teacher let out a sigh. Next period was her free period and she desperately needed that time to cool down.

The bell rang, signaling the end of fifth period. _Thank god! _Bulma thought as her students left the room. She leaned back in her chair, putting her feet up on her desk and rubbing her temples. _Just one more period after this and I am home free! _The idea of going home made her feel a bit better.

During the first fifteen minutes of her free period, Bulma managed to finish grading most of her quizzes. She stopped only because her hunger had returned. _I guess I can get something from the vending machines. _

After buying the biggest candy bar in the machine, she ran into another science teacher who was heading out for a smoke break. Bulma didn't smoke often but every now and then lighting up a cigarette helped her relax, so she bummed one off her colleague. The smoking, combined with a short, pleasant conversation with her coworker and an unbelievably delicious chocolate bar had Bulma heading back to her room with her spirits lifted.

Upon entering her classroom she was greeted by an unexpected sight. Sitting behind her desk, with his arms folded and his legs up, was the last person in the world she wanted to see. Vegeta stared at her with an angry glint in his eye. Bulma had to admit, he was quite a looker. _If he wasn't such an asshole, I might find this situation somewhat exciting…_ She caught her heartbeat speeding up and quickly calmed herself. _He will not get to me this time._

"Get out of my chair," Bulma said coldly.

Vegeta ignored the comment. "What exactly are you trying to achieve?" He took his feet off of her desk and leaned forward.

Bulma wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. Instead of answering she put her hands on her hips, looked away from him with an upturned nose, and said, "I refuse to talk to you while you're sitting in my chair."

With something that sounded to Bulma like a growl, Vegeta stood. She could feel his eyes burning into her as he moved closer. Suddenly Bulma regretted asking him to get up. His proximity was making her nervous but she refused to show it. With a scowl that rivaled Vegeta's, she faced him. "Much better. Now, what is it that you want?"

"I _want _you to stop taking your personal vendettas out on my players." Vegeta leaned closer with heightened intensity.

They were roughly the same height (Vegeta may have been and inch or two taller—not counting the hair) but he had a way of making his opposition feel like he was towering above them.

"Oh I see," Bulma lifted the corner of her mouth into a smirk, "you're here about Jordan. Well I'll have you know I gave him detention because he deserved it. It had nothing to do with you, so get over yourself, you hypocrite!" She moved away from him to stand behind her desk, smiling to herself at his stunned expression.

"Hypocrite?! What are you talking about?" Bulma could hear the anger in his voice and mentally applauded herself.

"You're all for reprimanding disrespectful students when it affects you but you will never say a word against your precious athletes! Anyone who sleeps in my class is going to have to face discipline. No exceptions!"

Vegeta's anger was rising, mostly because the damn woman had a point, but Jordan was one of the best players on the team and he could not afford to lose him due to poor grades and misconduct. "Give the boy a make-up assignment. He can complete it during his detention"

_He's giving in! _Bulma thought to herself proudly but she still didn't appreciate his commanding tone. "In this school we are equals, Vegeta. The only person I take orders from is administration. So if you want something, I suggest you ask nicely instead of demanding it."

The smug look on the woman's face made Vegeta want to destroy something. He took football very seriously. The West City High School football team had gone from the weakest team in the division to one of the strongest in the nation under his coaching. This year was supposed to be the year they would finally beat the East City team and he would not allow this woman to stand in the way.

He clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth, "How can Jordan raise his grade in your class?"

Bulma leaned forward and put her palms on the desk. Her seductive stance caused Vegeta to unconsciously drop his gaze from her eyes to her body. Catching himself, he quickly refocused his eyes back to hers, strengthening his glare in hopes that she hadn't seen him falter. Luckily, she was too busy basking in her victory to have noticed.

"I want him to start coming to science club meetings. One of my brighter students can tutor him and help him work on an extra credit project I assign. If I get even the slightest feeling that he's making someone else do his work, I will fail him. The club meets Tuesday mornings."

"No. The team trains in the gym every morning."

"Football isn't everything! If he wants to bring his grade up, he's going to have to make some sacrifices. In fact, this will probably be a welcome break for the kid!"

The look on his face told Bulma that she was probably pushing it but she was in a position of power for the time being and she wasn't going to waste it. She continued, "He was practically unconscious with exhaustion because you're overworking him. I don't know how these kids' mothers let you get away with this! If it was me I would—"

"Damn, woman, do you ever stop yammering?!" Vegeta took a moment to cross his arms and calm his voice. "The boy will come to your silly science club." He turned to leave without another word.

Bulma was slightly taken aback. _That ended much quieter than I thought it would... I guess football really is important to him. Well, WHATEVER! I WON! _

It was as if all the tension and anger from the day had drained out of her. Soon after, the bell rang and Bulma's last class flew by. She headed home quickly where she planned on rewarding herself with a hot bath.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I meant to have this out sooner…haha my bad. Thanks for sticking with it! Reviews are always appreciated! Also, I'm not very good at judging when content is inappropriate (I won't be writing anything too explicit. No worries!) so let me know if you think I should up the rating.

Marie a- Vegeta absolutely played football in high school and college! I didn't put a lot of thought into which position though…I imagine he would be wide receiver or running back since they usually need to be the fastest. He would definitely want to be offense I think!

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**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter 3

_Bulma sat at her desk writing in red ink on her student's lab reports. She paused for a moment to look out the window at the setting sun. _Wow, time really flew by, _she thought before returning to her work. _

_Click.....rrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee _

_The sound of her door opening made Bulma flinch but she continued to look down at her papers. She assumed it was the janitor coming in to clean. "Sorry, I'll be out of your hair in a bit." She said mildly. When a response didn't come she looked up at the door. No one was there. _

Odd… _Bulma shrugged it off and went back to her work. _

"_Working late?" a thick voice said from behind her. Bulma looked over her shoulder to see a smirking face. She found her self blushing at his closeness. "Don't mind me," he said. _

_Vegeta's breath on her neck made her shiver but she tried to refocus on her work. _What was I doing again? Oh yeah, lab reports.

_The man moved to her other shoulder, where Bulma had draped most of her hair. Gently he touched her blue locks and pulled them back, exposing her neck completely. She gasped as his lips made contact. Bulma turned in her chair to face him and their eyes met. Looking into them was like looking down a well. Just when she felt she was about to fall in, he leaned forward and claimed her lips passionately. _

Bulma sat up very suddenly in her bed. Breathing heavily, she wiped the light sweat from her forehead.

_Wow, that was…something. _Bulma looked over at her clock and saw that it was 5 AM, a bit earlier than when she normally awoke but she wasn't tired anymore so she decided to get up.

Bulma chuckled to herself as she squeezed toothpaste on her toothbrush. _As if I would just sit there and be fondled, _she mused, _Although, I was doing a lot more than just sitting there… _Shaking her head, she shook the thought out of her mind.

Since she was ahead of schedule, Bulma decided she would leave for school early to get a bit of exercise. She couldn't decide if she wanted to run or swim so she packed both her running shorts and swimsuit. _I'll make up my mind when I get there. _

Before parking her car, Bulma drove by the outdoor track in hopes of seeing her friends Chichi and Goku, knowing that they often exercised in the morning. Instead, she saw Vegeta in sweats and a wife beater, stretching in preparation for a run. _Swimming it is! _

The girl's locker room was empty when Bulma got there. The students didn't usually come in this early unless they had to. After slipping into her navy blue swimsuit she wrapped herself in a robe and went to the indoor pool.

When she got there she smiled as she saw a bun of black hair bobbing in and out of the water rhythmically. The swimmer did not notice Bulma enter the pool.

Reaching the end of her lane, Chichi paused for a moment at the deep end of the pool to catch her breath. She held on to the tile edge of the pool to give her legs a break. All of a sudden, a hand grabbed her ankle. The brunette let out a surprised yelp as she was dragged down into the water. Without opening her eyes, Chichi swung her other leg to kick her assailant. The mysterious hand lost its grip and Chichi pulled herself up to the waters surface only to see her good friend Bulma, coughing and rubbing the side of her head.

"What the hell, Chichi!" cried Bulma once the air returned to her lungs.

"You should know better than to sneak up on me!" Chichi said sternly, although she was unable to hide her concerned expression as she tried to get a better look at the side of Bulma's head.

"Noted!" Bulma laughed, "I can't imagine how much more that would've hurt if we weren't underwater!"

The two women swam next to each other, racing occasionally, until Bulma had to call it quits.

"Sorry Chi, I just don't have your stamina! Besides I have to get ready before my club meets," Bulma said, raising herself out of the pool.

Chichi shrugged and decided to follow her friend back to the locker room to shower. Much to the women's dismay, they found signs taped to the shower doors that read: **OUT OF ORDER. Will be fixed by end of day. **

"What good is that going to do us?!" Chichi yelled at the sign, as if it could answer her.

"Damnit! I do not want to spend the rest of the day smelling like chlorine!" said Bulma.

"Me neither!" Chichi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe we don't have to. Grab your things and follow me!" Bulma raised an eyebrow at her friend but did what she was told.

"The boys locker room?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Bulma practically shrieked when she saw where Chichi had led her. "This is a terrible idea."

"It is not! No one is in here this early." Chichi looked down at her watch and saw that it was a little after six. "The football team doesn't finish weight training for another hour and a half! Besides we can lock the door from the inside!" Bulma still looked skeptical. "Fine! If you want to look and smell like crap all day then be my guest!" Chichi went in. After a moment, Bulma sighed and followed, making sure to lock the door behind her. They thoroughly searched the locker room for signs of the opposite sex. When none were found, they got into the showers.

Bulma couldn't believe how quickly Chichi got ready. She was still shampooing her hair when she heard her friend open the shower curtain in the stall next to hers and step out. By the time Bulma was rinsing out her conditioner, she heard Chichi call, "I'm going to meet Goku in the cafeteria for breakfast. Join us when you're done!"

_Jeez, it's like she was raised by the military, _Bulma thought, rinsing her hair.

Vegeta headed to the weight room to check on his team. Goku was supposed to supervise them while he went for a run but when Vegeta got there, he saw that his assistant coach was nowhere in sight and that his players were slacking off. _Idiot! He's probably stuffing his face! _

Vegeta sternly told the boys to do fifty pushups and promised them a harsher punishment if he caught them being lazy again, before heading off to the locker room to shower.

When he got there, Vegeta heard one of the showers running and saw someone's bag and towel resting on one of the benches. _Kakarott... _Vegeta thought angrily. Only Vegeta called Goku by his first name because he refused to call anyone by their middle name. It was yet another reason why he wasn't one of the most liked teachers.

Vegeta decided he was going to give Kakarott a piece of his mind, so he walked to the occupied shower stall. However, before he could open his mouth the shower curtain opened revealing a naked blue haired woman. Vegeta's eyes widened and his mouth fell ajar. Only the woman's shriek brought him to his senses, making him turn around.

"What the hell are you doing here, woman?!"

Bulma was completely red as she pulled the shower curtain to cover herself. She started stammering "I—uh well, you see—the shower in our locker room—no one was supposed to—," Bulma blinked hard to regain some composure but still could control the speed of her speech. "The door was supposed to be locked!" _Damnit! Chichi must've forgotten to lock it back! _

"Well it wasn't! You have no business being in the MEN'S locker room. Now, get out!"

"I WILL! Close your eyes so I can get my towel!"

Vegeta shut his eyes. "And no peeking!" she added as she walked past him.

"Oh please," Vegeta snorted, "like I _need_ to see you naked again." His voice was thick with sarcasm.

Bulma suppressed her embarrassment and haughtily responded, "You're right! One look at a hot body like mine should last you a lifetime." She smiled inwardly as she heard him choke. Quickly she wrapped herself in a towel, grabbed her clothes and went into one of the bathroom stalls to change.

When he heard her stall shut, Vegeta opened his eyes while moving to his bag. He figured the woman would be in there primping herself for a long while and he did not have the time or patience to sit there and wait for her. Hastily he undressed, readying himself to shower.

Chichi raced back to the locker room, realizing that she had forgotten to lock it. When she got there, she poked her head in and called her friends name just as a muscular, spiky haired man was wrapping a towel around his waist. Vegeta turned, glaring maliciously at her.

"Sorry! I was just checking in on Bulma," Chichi could barely contain her giggles after catching a glimpse at the history teachers toned ass.

"Chichi is that you? You bitch!" Bulma called as she exited her stall fully clothed and with a blow dryer in hand.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!" Chichi apologized, pressing her palms together.

"Vegeta, is there a plug around here?" asked Bulma as she looked around the mirrors for an outlet.

A vein bulged out of Vegeta's forehead while his eye twitched. "WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? GET OUT!"

The volume in his voice was terrifying. Bulma grabbed her things and ran for the door, pulling Chichi along with her. As soon as they exited, Chichi ducked her head back in and shouted, "Just so you know Goku's ass is way hotter than yours!"

The friends held in their laughter until they reached the girl's locker room.

Bulma let out a sigh as she finished laughing. "I can't believe you said that! I wish I could've seen his face!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "Did you actually see it or were you just messing with him?"

"Well technically, I saw a cheek and a half and only for about a second—but that was plenty of time, believe me!"

Bulma laughed again. "I'm sorry you had to see that! You're not scarred for life are you?"

"Not at all! It wasn't that bad, honestly. Of course, I really do prefer Goku's but Vegeta's got a little freckle on his right butt cheek and it's actually kinda cute!" Chichi chuckled. Bulma had to cover her mouth to contain her giggles. She hadn't felt this juvenile in a long time.

Once they recovered from their girlish outbursts, Chichi looked up at Bulma. "Sorry again for leaving you in there. I really should've stayed and kept watch! Luckily, you were in the stall by the time he got there so no harm done, right?"

Bulma turned bright red. She had almost forgotten her earlier encounter with Vegeta. She tried to hide her blush, not sure if she wanted to tell Chichi about what happened. However, her reddened cheeks did not go unnoticed and Chichi eyed her suspiciously. The librarian's eyes widened as a thought clicked in her head. "Oh no Bulma, don't tell me…"

"YUP," Bulma buried her face in her hands in an effort to hide her humiliation.

Her friend's reaction was cracking Chichi up. "Well, what exactly did he see? A flash of boob? Your ass?"

"NOPE, he got the…full frontal!" The blue haired bombshell lowered her hands to reveal an embarrassed grimace.

Chichi put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to suppress her laughter. Bulma was clearly ashamed and Chichi didn't want make her feel worse. "Well, whatever! He should consider himself lucky!"

"Just don't tell Yamcha! You know how he gets," said Bulma, plugging in her hair dryer. Chichi promised and left her friend to get ready.

By the time Bulma finished her hair and makeup she was running a little behind. When she rushed to her classroom she saw a group of students waiting for her.

"Sorry guys!" she said unlocking the door and letting them in. The science club didn't mind Bulma's tardiness. They were more concerned about the football player who had inexplicably showed up to their meeting.

"Jordan!" Bulma exclaimed patting the boy on the back, "I'm so glad you could join us!"

Jordan shrugged but was a little surprised by how nice his science teacher was being to him. He took a seat away from the group that could not stop staring at him.

Bulma loved her science club. It was comprised of the school's brightest students, some of whom Bulma considered smarter than many of her father's colleagues. Currently they were working on a project they planned on entering in the national science fair.

She addressed her students, as they brought the pieces of their project out of the storage room. "You may have noticed we have someone new joining us this week. I want you all to make him feel welcome and help him understand what we're working on."

The club members looked at each other for a moment before one of them, Clara, finally stepped forward to speak. Clara reminded Bulma a lot of herself. She was very pretty without having to work at it and arguably the smartest person in the school. She tucked a bit of dark green hair behind her ear as she spoke, "Do you really think that's wise Mrs. Briefs?" She glanced over at Jordan, who sat with his shoulders slumped avoiding everyone's eyes, before continuing. "We're already running a little behind and if we have to take the time to explain everything—"

"Oh I'm sorry," Bulma cut in, "I didn't realize you couldn't handle a challenge." The teacher shrugged, opening her mouth to speak but was stopped by Clara who suddenly felt very defensive.

"I didn't say that! We can do definitely do it! I was just a bit worried is all…" she trailed off.

Bulma smiled at getting the desired response. "Come join the group Jordan."

Jordan awkwardly made his way to the center of the room where the students had convened around some sort of disk, wires, and other things he couldn't identify. He was very out of his element. "What is this?" he asked quietly.

"It is the beginnings of a homopolar generator," Clara answered.

Jordan sniggered, "A homo-what?"

"Oh my god, he's an idiot!" whined a short haired girl with glasses quietly to the lanky boy next to her. Clara let out a sigh and shared bothered glances with her classmates before continuing, "A homoPOLAR generator is a DC generator first developed by Michael Faraday. The reason for its name, that seems to amuse you so much, is because the poles are all of the same polarity. Homo, in this case, means 'same'."

The tensions eased a bit as they continued. The students were pleased to find that Jordan wasn't as dumb as they thought. In fact, he was grasping the concepts rather quickly. Bulma smiled proudly as she supervised them.

As eight o'clock neared, Bulma asked the students to put away the project so her first class could enter. She stopped to talk to Jordan before he headed off to his first class. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

"No it was actually kinda fun." Jordan answered with a slight smile.

"Listen, I know some of your teammates are struggling with their grades as well. Feel free to invite them! I'm sure I can work something out with that pig-headed coach of yours!"

"Sure Ms. B. Thanks a lot!" he said as he exited her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **This chapter turned out much longer than the others but I think I'm proud of it. Enjoy and please don't stop reviewing!

* * *

**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter 4

"…so even though the British had smaller ships, they defeated the Spanish Armada, sending them home in disgrace with their naval forces greatly depleted." Vegeta shut his book and looked up at his students to see a few hands raised. He nodded at a curly haired boy, signaling him to speak.

"Didn't the Spanish have more ships though? I don't see how they lost?"

"They lost because they were weak." Vegeta answered blandly.

Another student chimed in, "But the British boats were so small."

"That may be but they were faster and equipped with more powerful weapons."

"So they were stronger!" said a squeaky voiced girl from the back of the class, as if she'd just made an important discovery.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes, they were. There is nothing more important than strength, do you understand? History is made by the strong!"

"Is that going to be on the test?"

"YES" Vegeta was getting frustrated with silly questions. He turned his glare to the curly haired boy who had just opened his mouth to ask something else. "Question time is over! I'm sure you will find the answers to your queries if you do the reading you were assigned. Use the remaining time for that. You will be quizzed tomorrow."

He moved to his desk and sat down with his arms crossed. No matter how he tried to distract himself, Vegeta couldn't seem to get the blue haired woman out of his mind. His thoughts would often drift back to their arguments, which he had to admit to finding somewhat amusing (except when he lost). What was most unsettling was that he couldn't keep the image of her naked body out of his head. It was becoming very inconvenient.

Bulma finished her grading and looked up at the clock. Third period would be over soon. She pulled open her drawer to look for her calendar. Something was going on today but she couldn't remember what.

The bell rang as she looked up the day on her calendar. _Oh yeah, today's the sex ed assembly. I wonder who's giving it this year_. The teacher who usually hosted the assembly had retired the previous year. Bulma let the thought go, turning her attention to her class.

"Glad to see no one got held hostage today," Bulma said, making her class laugh. The rest of the period continued normally. Bulma handed back their grades and started a lecture on a new chapter.

Before the end of class Piccolo's voice came on the intercom. "Attention students, this is your vice principal speaking. Today is the SE assembly. Girls will be first, so when the bell rings please report to gym where Coach Son will be waiting for you. Boys go to lunch. A bell will ring signaling you to go to the gym."

"What's SE?" one of the students, Clay, asked.

"Sex education," Bulma answered with chuckle, "I think using the words makes Mr. Piccolo uncomfortable."

Jared was next to speak, "Is that why he sounds so angry? Oh wait, never mind, he always sounds like that."

As the bell rang and the students started leaving, a wave of realization hit Bulma. _Did he say Coach Son? Goku's hosting the assembly?! _

"Whose bright idea was that?!" Bulma said aloud, rushing to the door. She wasn't sure what to do but she knew she had to do something. Hurriedly, Bulma made her way to the library. When she got there she saw Chichi scolding her assistant Marron.

"How did you lose the returned books?!" Chichi shouted, "They were on a cart! A BIG CART! HOW DO YOU LOSE A CART?"

"Well I was reshelving and then I had to go to the bathroom…did I take it with me?"

Chichi looked like she was getting an aneurism caused by Marron's sheer stupidity. "You took a giant cart with you to the bathroom?! I don't even want to know the logic behind that decision!"

Marron looked up at her superior impassively, "You really shouldn't make that face. It's only going to make those lines on your face deeper."

Bulma got to Chichi just in time to hold her back, stopping her from ripping her spacey assistant into pieces. "JUST GO LOOK FOR THE DAMN CART!"

"Whatever you say!" Marron responded with a smile before skipping off to look for the missing books.

"How did that idiot get this job?" Chichi exhaled, trying to calm herself.

"How do you think? Roshi thought she had nice boobies so he hired her," Bulma said with disgust. "But we've got bigger problems Chi! Your boyfriend is on the verge of scarring a very large group of young girls for life."

"What are you talking about?" Chichi had been to distracted by her rage to hear to assembly announcement.

"He's teaching sex ed this year! We have to do something!"

The librarian furrowed her brow. "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit? I mean, I'm sure he can handle it…" Chichi tried to imagine what he would say to the girls.

_**In Chichi's brain:**_

"_I don't know about you ladies but I know Chichi likes it when I—"_

"My God! There's no time to lose!" Chichi shrieked running out the door with Bulma behind her.

As they exited, they ran by Yamcha. When he saw Bulma he called out to her, "Hey babe! I was just looking for you. You wanna—"

"Not now Yamcha!" She shouted without giving him a glance. Yamcha watched her go with his arms crossed.

Goku stood in front of bleachers filled with girls, holding a health textbook in his hands. He'd known for a while he'd have to do this but he didn't put much thought into what he would say. _It shouldn't be too difficult, _he'd thought, _I'll just wing it. _Now, as he looked at the chapter about female puberty, he regretted not thinking out what to say and how to say it.

The gym teacher took a deep breath in before starting, "Well it says here…" Goku had never felt more uncomfortable in his life. "…apparently every month…"

"GOKU!" The whole auditorium turned to see a fuming brunette followed by a panting blue haired woman. "Stop talking this instant!"

"Oh hey Chichi! I was just telling them about their", Goku looked down at the book and read, "men-stral cycles, also known as periods."

Bulma walked up to him and grabbed the book. "They already know about that! They cover it in middle school. Why don't you just let me and Chichi handle this, okay?"

"Um okay," Goku shrugged.

"In my terror I left the library unattended. Can you go there and keep an eye on things for me?" Chichi asked. Goku nodded and turned to leave.

Bulma looked up at the girls in the bleachers. They all looked extremely annoyed at the postponement of their lunch. Bulma cleared her throat. "Hi there! For those of you who aren't in my class I'm Bulma Briefs and I'm sure you all know your librarian Chichi."

The next thirty minutes passed rather smoothly to Bulma and Chichi's surprise. They knew that the school had a policy of promoting abstinence, so they discussed that, also making sure to cover contraception. At the end they opened the floor to questions and made a point of telling the girls that they should never be afraid to ask for help.

Once the assembly was over they went back to the library to meet up with Goku. He was sitting at the main desk eating a pizza.

"Goku, there is no eating in the library!" Chichi scolded.

"Sorry!" he said, shoving the rest of the pizza in his mouth. "How'd the assembly go?"

"It went well," responded Bulma. "I think you can handle the guys but I made you a little note card anyway." She handed him the little piece of paper.

"Thanks a lot!" he said, "You guys really saved my butt!" Goku put his arms around the two women and gave them a squeeze before heading out the door.

After chatting a little more with Chichi, Bulma left too. She needed to get some food before her lunch period was over so she went to the cafeteria. Not realizing how hungry she was, Bulma downed a hamburger in five minutes. Since there was still plenty of lunch time left, she decided to go to the gym to check on Goku.

As Bulma walked down the hallway that led to the gym she heard voices. It sounded like two people were arguing. She picked up the pace a bit. Two very large football players were arguing about something. As Bulma reached them, they began shoving each other.

"I'm not going to tell you again! Stay away from Wendy! She's my girl!" one said.

"That's not what she said last night." retorted the other.

Bulma rushed over to them. She could tell things were about to get violent. "Boys break it up! You should be at the assembly." Both students were a full head taller than she was. They didn't seem to notice her presence so Bulma put a hand on one of their shoulders. Just as she did that, the player snapped his arm back, preparing to punch his teammate. The force of his movement knocked Bulma back. She staggered backward, losing her balance and hitting her head against the wall as she fell.

The student didn't realize he had knocked back a teacher and continued to throw his punch but before it could land a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. He looked over to see his irate coach glaring up at him. Fear lined the student's features despite the fact that Vegeta was much shorter than him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vegeta looked at his players waiting for an answer. They stayed silent for a moment. Then the one whose wrist Vegeta had grabbed finally spoke.

Rubbing his wrist, he said, "We were having an argument." The boy's voice was tense as he narrowed his eyes at his teammate beside him.

"Do you know what the consequences are for fighting on school property?" His volume was bordering on a yell, "You could have been suspended, even kicked off the team!"

"Sorry sir," they said in unison, with bowed heads.

"Whatever it was you were arguing over, I suggest you let it go and focus on what's important—unless you _want_ to suffer another embarrassing defeat at the hands of East City. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?" Vegeta sounded like a drill sergeant.

"No sir"

"Then I do not want to see a repeat of this behavior. Now go to the assembly! I want to talk with you both in my office before practice." The boys stared at him, looking distressed. "GO!" Vegeta shouted making them jump and run away.

Bulma had been watching the scene in awe. As the boys turned to run away she opened her mouth to yell at them. Before she could get a word out she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see that Vegeta had knelt down beside her.

A slight draft made Bulma realize her skirt had ridden up to the top of her thigh. Quickly she pulled it down, making Vegeta smirk. She could tell what he was thinking (_not like I haven't seen it before..._) but he was restraining himself for some reason.

Vegeta touched Bulma's chin with his thumb and index finger, raising her head to look in into her eyes. She felt her face get hot as he leaned closer to her face.

"What are you doing?" she said. Her voice was almost a whisper.

"I'm looking at your pupils. Do you feel dizzy?" His voice had its usual gruffness but his hands were surprisingly gentle.

"Oh" Bulma blinked. _Duh! What did I think he was doing?_ "No. I don't have a concussion, Vegeta. I didn't hit my head that hard."

He turned her head to look for the bump, feeling her scalp with his fingers. When his finger touched to bump, Bulma winced. Noticing her reaction, Vegeta let out a grunt that Bulma assumed meant "sorry".

"I'm fine, really," Bulma assured, taking his hand from the back of her head. Her hand lingered on his for a moment, as their eyes met. Bulma could feel her heart beat picking up as she remembered the dream she'd had last night, where she'd stared into his eyes as she was now.

"Bulma?" a voice came from down the hall, reminding Bulma of her surroundings. She pulled her hand back and tore her eyes from Vegeta's. Yamcha was walking toward them. Vegeta stood, moving away from her quickly and crossing his arms.

Bulma spoke, while rising, "Hey, Yamcha! Me and Vegeta just broke up a fight. I got knocked back…" She didn't like how nervous she sounded. Controlling her voice better she continued, "I didn't know you were here today. Is Mrs. Hill still sick?"

"I just saw you outside the library, like thirty minutes ago," Yamcha said, a little frustrated.

"Oh yeah! Haha…with all the excitement I must have forgotten," Bulma tilted her head down and looked up at him with her baby blues, an expression which usually melted away any of Yamcha's negative feelings. His face softened a bit but he still seemed bothered by something.

Vegeta had had enough of this disgusting display. This was a side of the woman he'd never seen before. She was acting like a child and he didn't like it. _Why does that bother me so much? _He thought as his scowl deepened,_ Her behavior is of no importance to me! _Without saying a word to the other two in his presence, Vegeta stomped away.

Bulma watched him go, confused at her sudden feeling of sadness at seeing him go. _When_ _I fell, he took the time to make sure I was okay. He was actually being kind of nice to me. _

"Bulma," Yamcha said, pulling her out of her thoughts, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just bumped my head. I'm getting a small headache," she gave him a small smile as the bell rang. "Well, we better get back to our rooms." Bulma took Yamcha's arm and led him back. They didn't talk on the way. Yamcha was thinking about something, Bulma could tell. She just didn't know what.

The rest of the day flew by quickly, mostly because the remaining classes had to be shortened after the assemblies. When the final bell rang, Bulma said goodbye to her students and went to the office to make some copies.

Krillin was standing in front of the copy machine when she got there. He was putting his papers in order before using it. Eighteen walked up behind him with her own papers in hand. _Great_, Bulma thought, _I didn't realize it was going to be copy machine rush hour. _

Eighteen's presence was clearly making Krillin nervous. Dropping all his papers to the floor he scrambled to pick them up. The beautiful blonde simply stared at him, making the little man turn completely red.

"You can go ahead of me if you want," Krillin sputtered, "It's going to take some time for me to get these papers back in order." Eighteen simply nodded, stepping up and putting her paper down on the copier.

Bulma watched the scene with a smile on her face. Eighteen was a new teacher this year so Bulma hadn't really gotten to know her yet. She didn't really make an attempt to get to know anyone, so Bulma assumed she wanted to be left alone. Other people seemed to think the same way. At least, the female teachers did. Many of the younger male teachers were excited to approach the hot new chick but Eighteen shot them all down. Krillin was one of the few who hadn't made a move on her. It was pretty clear to Bulma and all their friends that he wanted to, though. He was just too shy.

Since Eighteen had started working there, Krillin had undergone some changes. He started growing his hair out and seemed more distracted everyday, obviously by thoughts of the attractive math teacher. He would often strategically position himself near her, in hopes of finally getting the courage to talk to her.

Bulma moved over to Krillin, who was nervously sifting through his papers at the table next to the copier. "Hey Krillin, whatcha got there?" she said, sitting on the clear side of the table.

"Oh hey Bulma! It's just a review packet. I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, I noticed," Bulma smiled and glance at Eighteen. "Hey Eighteen! I don't think we've been formally acquainted. I'm Bulma Briefs." She reached her hand out across Krillin to Eighteen, who for a moment seemed surprised that she was being addressed.

She recovered quickly and said, "Yes, I know who you are. It's hard not to." Eighteen took Bulma's hand firmly, giving it a succinct shake.

"Thank you?" Bulma knew she wasn't being insulted but she wasn't sure she was being complemented either. "I'm sorry if you've been asked this a lot but what's with the name?"

"My father was pretty dull*," she responded as the copier finished printing out her papers.

Bulma didn't know if this was a joke but she laughed anyway. "I like you, Eighteen. We should hang out! Don't you think so, Krillin?"

Krillin flinched. "Uh yeah, d-definitely."

Eighteen eyed him for a moment before an office worker called out, "Ms. Gero, you have a phone call." She nodded and grabbed her papers.

"It was nice talking to you!" Bulma said, nudging Krillin.

"Um, YEAH, it was," he stuttered.

Eighteen gave them a smile (or maybe it was a smirk, they couldn't really tell) before exiting to take her phone call. Krillin exhaled as if he'd been holding his breath for hours.

"She's a little intimidating but she seems nice enough," said Bulma, thoughtfully.

Krillin didn't say anything; he just stared dreamily in the direction she had left. Bulma laughed, noticing he had barely organized the papers in front of him. "Do you mind if I cut you too?"

"What?" Krillin snapped back to reality, "Yeah that's fine."

"You know, if you'd say more than three words to her, I bet Eighteen would see how likeable you are." Bulma watched his reaction, suppressing a giggle. He looked as if his deepest secret had just been revealed.

"Why would I want that?" He said with a very fake laugh. "I mean it's not like I—that's not to say—if she wanted to—I'm pretty sure she has a boyfriend anyway—not that I would want to be her…" Krillin let out a sigh. He was very bad at hiding things.

"Alright, alright" Bulma laughed, deciding to stop his train wreck of a sentence. "How do you know she has a boyfriend anyway?"

"Sometimes when I'm going to my car, I see her getting picked up by this handsome guy with long black hair," Krillin said sadly.

"That's my brother." Bulma and Krillin turned their heads to see Eighteen standing in the doorway. Krillin's jaw nearly fell to the floor at the sight of her. How much had she heard?

"Oh you have a brother? What's his name? Seventeen?" Bulma joked, trying to ease some of the awkwardness of the situation.

"How did you know?" Eighteen took her attention off of Krillin and moved to grab her bag which she had apparently forgotten.

Krillin swallowed hard, composing himself. "S-so you don't have a boyfriend?"

"No," she stated simply exiting the room with her bag over her shoulder.

If the table had not been behind him for support, Krillin would have fallen over. Bulma knew there was no point in talking to him now. Krillin had drifted off into his thoughts with a goofy look on his face. Bulma grabbed her finished copies, leaving Krillin alone with his thoughts.

Bulma went back to her room to drop her papers off and grab her things. When she got there she saw the two burly players from earlier sitting in desks, waiting for her. Just the sight of them made the bump on the back of her head sting. When they saw her they promptly stood up.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" She asked tersely.

They looked at each other and then down at the floor. The one who had knocked Bulma back spoke first. "We came here to apologize for our misconduct and for hurting you. Honest, Ms. Briefs, it was an accident. I would never hit a girl." He finally looked at her and Bulma could see that he was genuinely sorry.

"Yeah, we're real sorry" the other one said, "and we're ready to accept any punishment you deem necessary."

Bulma raised her eyebrow at his words. It was pretty clear that they were told to say these things. "Did your coach put you up to this?"

"Well, yeah but we really are sorry!"

"I believe you," she said with a smile. _So he's putting their punishment in my hands. Why would he do that? He must know I'll make them miss practice... _

"I accept your apology but I'm going to give you detention. Fighting is absolutely unacceptable and if Mr. Prince hadn't stopped you the punishment would have been much more severe. I also want you to see the guidance counselor at some point so you can work out the business about that Wendy person. You guys are teammates, remember that. Don't let silly things get between you."

"Will do, Ms. Briefs! Bye!" They hurried out of the room, probably on their way to the football field.

Bulma grabbed her bag and headed out the door, her head swimming. She couldn't help but feel somewhat flattered by Vegeta's actions. By the time she got home, Bulma's mind was still on the history teacher, who, until today, she had considered her worst enemy. _I need something else to focus on_, she thought as she headed to her lab. She passed her father leaving his lab and they exchanged brief pleasantries (no pun intended!).

An unfinished project was waiting for Bulma on her lab table. She was working on a device that would allow the user to find any object they were looking for by setting the radar to the correct frequency. Bulma had thought it up after losing her cell phone for the fifth time.

As she worked her mind would occasionally drift back to the events of the day, mostly the ones involving Vegeta. She didn't notice her mother had walked in until she heard her voice.

"Bulma, honey," Mrs. Briefs said finally getting her daughters attention, "You have a visitor." Bulma looked up from her work to see Yamcha standing behind her mother.

"I'll go get you two some tea and cakes," giggled Bulma's mother as she bounced out of the room.

"Hey Yamcha," said Bulma, turning her attention back to her device. "What's up?"

Yamcha bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Nothing really, I wanted to see if you wanted to get dinner tonight."

"That's sweet but I think I'm going to stay in and finished this up. I've been procrastinating really badly lately."

"Oh, I see." Yamcha sounded annoyed. Bulma noticed this so she put down her device to look at him.

"I'm sorry. We'll get dinner some other night okay?" She smiled sweetly at him, hoping to ease his irritation.

"Whatever," he mumbled turning his back on her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Your not that mad about this are you?"

"I guess I'm just tired, Bulma," Yamcha turned to look at her with an aggravated expression.

Bulma was a bit taken aback. "What do you mean?"

The volume in Yamcha's voice was steadily rising, "Every time I want to spend time with you, you blow me off!" Bulma didn't understand where his aggression was coming from. She thought things were fine between them.

"What are you talking about?" Bulma matched his intensity. "I don't know if you remember this but _I _was the one who wanted to get lunch with _you _yesterday! You're the one who blew me off!"

"You didn't want to spend time with me! You just wanted someone to complain to! The only time you come around is when you want something or when it's convenient for _you_!"

"That's not true!" Bulma stood and moved closer to him. "You know I'm busy! You've always known! Why are you suddenly so upset about it?"

"What do you expect me to do? Sit around, twiddling my thumbs until you feel like acting like a girlfriend?"

Bulma's eyes widened with rage. "What does that even mean? How should I 'act'? Like you? Should I follow you around like a puppy, begging you to spend time with me?!" The second she said the words she regretted them.

"Is that what I do?" Yamcha said quietly.

"No Yamcha, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out so harsh." Bulma took a step toward him and reached out to touch his shoulder.

Yamcha moved back, looking away from her, "But you did mean it."

"No, I didn't…I was just angry and it slipped out. Look, why don't we just drop this. I changed my mind lets go to dinner."

Yamcha didn't answer. After a pause he finally spoke. "Bulma, I met someone recently."

"What?" Bulma's voice was practically a whisper.

"Meeting her is all I've done, okay. I haven't cheated on you but I wanted to."

Bulma didn't know what to say. _Why is he telling me this?_

"And I think that's a bad sign for us. Maybe we should…" Yamcha trailed off when he looked at her face. Bulma's eyes were filled with unshed tears and he could tell she was trying very hard to hold them in.

Bulma swallowed hard, trying to suppress the knot building in her throat. "Yamcha," a tear finally escaped her eye, "please don't leave me."

He couldn't bear to look at her. Yamcha turned his back to her and faced the door. "Are you saying that because you actually want to be with me or because you don't want to be alone?"

Bulma didn't say anything. She couldn't. Words wouldn't form on her lips. All she could do was sit there and allow the tears to fall down her face. Taking her silence as his cue, Yamcha left.

Bulma squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to stop the tears. She hated crying. Suddenly she felt a burst of anger, causing her to grab the device she'd been working on. Letting out a yell, she hurled it out the door that Yamcha had left from. As soon as it hit the wall the wave of anger was gone. She sat down at her table, burying her head in her arms as the sadness returned.

A minute later, Bulma's mom appeared with a tray full of tea and cakes. "Oh no, Bulma dear!"

Bulma sat up, quickly wiping her face. "What?" she said trying to act like nothing was wrong.

Mrs. Briefs put down the tray and picked up the now dented device. "I think you dropped this."

* * *

*This is a line from the show.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter 5

The alarm clock went off for five minutes before Bulma finally stirred. She was unbelievably drowsy. Tired of being kept up with her tears and depressing thoughts, Bulma had opted to take a sleeping pill. Now, she regretted it as it was proving difficult to get out of bed. Every fiber in her being wanted to stay wrapped in blankets.

Bulma had hoped that sleep would make her sadness go away—that she would wake up and immediately be over Yamcha. That was not the case. His words echoed in her mind: _"Are you saying that because you actually want to be with me or because you don't want to be alone?"_ That was his response to Bulma's plea, _"Please don't leave me." _

It was true Bulma did hate to be alone but that wasn't the reason she wanted to stay with Yamcha. _Was it? _she asked herself.

Bulma had never been single for very long. As soon as a relationship ended, she would jump into another one. This time was different, though. This time she was the one being broken up with.

Her stomach turned when she thought about how pathetic she must have looked when she was crying to Yamcha. Knowing him, he was probably proud of himself; proud that he had had so great an effect on such a proud, beautiful woman. She decided never to let him see her tears again.

Bulma's body was sluggish as she finally pulled herself out of bed. Not being in the mood, she didn't spend as much time getting ready as she usually did. She slipped on some black pants and a yellow cowl neck sweater, tying her hair up in a pony tail. Even though Bulma didn't put much effort into her look, she still looked great.

Bulma went downstairs to get some coffee and was greeted by her parents who were already in the kitchen.

"What do you want for breakfast, dear?" Bulma's mother asked, "Eggs? Bacon? Waffles?"

"Thanks but I'm just going to have some coffee," said Bulma

"What?!" Mrs. Briefs sounded as though she had just heard her daughter make an inflammatory remark. "Here, I'll get you some eggs."

Bulma sighed, knowing there was no use in arguing over the matter. She moved to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup before sitting next to her father. He was reading a newspaper while enjoying a plate of pancakes. She reached over and grabbed the pack of cigarettes out of his front jacket pocket. When he looked up at her in confusion she said, "I'm going to need these today." Mr. Briefs shrugged it off, as he did many of his only child's behaviors, and returned to his paper.

Mrs. Briefs put the plate of eggs in front of her daughter, staring at her expectantly. Bulma didn't touch it. Instead, she stared off into space, quietly sipping from her cup. Every now and then, Mr. Briefs would discuss something interesting he saw in the paper and she would nod, vacantly until she finished her coffee.

After outrunning her mother, who had been chasing her with a spoonful of eggs screaming, "Just one bite!" Bulma got in her car and headed to work. She prayed that Yamcha would not be there today. Holding herself together would not be a problem as long as she didn't see him. It was too soon to face him and if she did, Bulma knew she would fall apart.

As she walked down the hall to her classroom, Bulma felt her heart beat quickening as she neared Mrs. Hill's room. Hopefully, the teacher had recovered from her food poisoning and returned. Luckily, as Bulma speed walked by she was greeted by Mrs. Hill, who seemed to be in good spirits. She inquired about the woman's health, only half listening to the answer, before making her way to her room with a relieved sigh.

Once school started Bulma found it easy to ignore her sadness, focusing instead on her lecture and students. The students didn't say anything but they could tell something was wrong with their normally bubbly teacher. She wasn't as lively as she usually was. Everything about her was muted.

Lunch rolled around rather quickly. Bulma decided to avoid the teacher's lounge. She knew if she saw her friends, especially Chichi, they would notice something was wrong and Bulma really didn't want to talk about it. Instead she would sit on a patch of grass outside. _The sunshine might do me some good_, she thought.

When Bulma reached the school's front entrance, her heart dropped into her stomach. Standing outside, apparently waiting for something was Yamcha. His back was facing her. Suddenly, he lifted his hand to wave and Bulma saw a woman approaching him with two bags of fast food. The woman was tall, taller than Bulma. She had long wavy brown hair and wore a short purple dress. When the woman got to Yamcha she leaned forward, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

At that moment Bulma felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. Her eyes began to burn with tears. She turned and ran away before the couple noticed she was there. Quickly, Bulma made her way to the back exit of the school, tears streaming down her face.

When she finally got outside she threw her back against the wall, sliding down it until she was sitting with her knees bent, breathing heavily. One hand clutched her chest while the other still held her lunch bag. She let go of the bag, having successfully lost her appetite, and wiped her face with both hands. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her dad's pack of cigarettes. _I knew I would need this_, she said to herself as she lit it. Bulma inhaled the smoke deeply, letting it out through her nose.

"Disgusting," said a raspy voice.

Bulma rolled her eyes. She didn't have to look at him to know who it was. "Not now, Vegeta. I'm not in the mood."

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at Bulma. He found himself oddly disappointed. Normally the woman would not let a comment like that go. She'd always jumped at the chance to argue with him, even about the most trivial things. Something was wrong.

A silent moment passed between the pair. Bulma leaned her head back against the walls and closed her eyes, exhaling smoke.

"What is that?" Vegeta asked, referring the brown paper bag.

Bulma glanced down at it. "It's my lunch," she said picking it up and throwing it at him. "You can have it."

Vegeta caught it, annoyed with the fact that the woman still wouldn't look at him. "I don't want your trash," he responded throwing the bag back at her.

It hit her ear causing her to let out a surprised yelp. "What the hell, Vegeta?! There was an apple in there!" Bulma clutched her ear with her cigarette free hand, finally turning to look at him. "Can't you accept someone being nice to you for once? Why are you here anyway?"

Vegeta smirked proudly at his ability to finally get a rise out of her. "I was looking for that clown Kakarot so I could pawn my lunchroom duty off on him when I saw you sprinting down the hall. There's no running in the halls, woman, not even if you're a teacher."

That wasn't entirely true. Vegeta had been looking for Goku when he saw a blur of blue hair tearing down the hall, but he could care less about the no running rule. He thought he'd seen her crying and before he realized what he was doing, he found himself going after her. Once he became conscious of his actions, he chocked it up to curiosity.

Bulma's face twitched with rage. "Are you kidding me? You're such a jerk! You don't have to go out of your way to make me miserable, you know. I already am!" Her voice was soaked in bitterness as she looked away from him. She could feel the tears beginning to swell in her eyes again. _No, not in front of Vegeta! _she yelled at herself, swallowing to suppress the tears. As she put out her cigarette butt, she heard Vegeta sigh loudly and sit down next to her. _What is he doing now? _

Bulma reached for another cigarette. She put it in her mouth to light, only to have it snatched by Vegeta. "Hey! What's wrong with you?!" protested Bulma.

"Those things smell awful. What's wrong with _you_?"

"Well no one's making you stay here!" her voice got a little quieter "And there's nothing wrong with me…"

"Oh please," Vegeta snorted, "obviously something's making you sulk around like a child."

"What do you care anyway?" Bulma said bitingly when a thought suddenly dawned on her. She couldn't stop the wry smile from creeping onto her face. "Vegeta…are you trying to comfort me?"

"What?! No!" Vegeta deepened his scowl and looked away.

"You wanted to know why I was sulking, which means you care! You like me!" she teased with an accusing tone.

"Hardly!" Vegeta said, turning up his nose, "I only wanted you to stop sulking so I could unload my lunchroom duty on you."

Bulma punched him in the arm. "You ass."

"Whatever," Vegeta shrugged. "Are you going to do it or not?" he asked as he stood up.

Bulma stood up as well, thinking for a moment. "Alright, I guess I owe you," she said finally.

"For what?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"For making me feel better," She moved to the door but before she went through it she turned. "Thanks freckle butt!"

Vegeta's eyes widened with shock before narrowing in annoyance. After brooding for a second he picked up the lunch bag Bulma had left behind, peeked inside, and decided to take it.

Whether he meant to or not, by arguing with Bulma, Vegeta had lifted her spirits. He successfully got her mind off of Yamcha. _I don't get him_, thought Bulma about Vegeta as she entered the cafeteria.

She glanced around the room, looking for the other teacher that would be on lunch duty. Eighteen was standing near the back of the room, talking sternly to a student. Bulma reached her just as the student went back to his table. "Sorry you had to be here alone for so long! Vegeta was actually supposed to be on duty but I'm here to cover for him."

"I wasn't alone. I thought he was covering for Vegeta," Eighteen said, pointing across the room at a short man with black hair, who was weaving through the tables.

Bulma let out a laugh. Krillin was clearly still trying to muster up the courage to talk to the beautiful math teacher. With a wave, she called him over.

"Hey Bulma," Krillin lowered his head, afraid to look Eighteen in the eye, "Ms. Gero."

Eighteen rolled her eyes. "You're not a student. You can call me Eighteen."

"Sorry…Eighteen." As her name escaped his lips a blush spread across his cheeks.

"Well, I guess I don't really need to be here," said Bulma. As her stomach grumbled, she regretted leaving her lunch outside with Vegeta. "I think I'll get something to eat." She waved goodbye to Eighteen and Krillin and headed over to the lunch line.

When she got her food, she sat at an empty table, occasionally looking up at the pair. Bulma smilled as she saw Krillin awkwardly making conversation. She tried to discern what Eighteen was thinking. It was impossible. Bulma didn't think Eighteen was annoyed with the little man, though. _If she didn't want him talking to her she'd probably just leave. She doesn't seem like the type that cares about being polite. _

The day had been going better than expected. Bulma managed to avoid Yamcha both physically and mentally—at least until the end of the day. She was unlocking her car door when she saw him out of the corner of her eye. He was two cars down from her and Bulma could tell he had seen her. Opening her car door, she decided it was best to ignore him. Unfortunately, Yamcha was walking over. Bulma hurried into her car and started to pull the door closed when she was met with resistance.

Yamcha looked down at her after stopping the door from closing. "Hey…"

Bulma didn't say anything but continued to look forward, tightening her grip around the steering wheel.

"Come on, Bulma, don't be like this," he said, leaning down to her level. As he did Bulma snapped her head in his direction, her features filled with fury. The intensity in her eyes almost knocked Yamcha back.

"How should I be? Ecstatic? Happy that you've moved on so quickly?" Bulma was surprised by her own strength. She was sure that seeing Yamcha would reduce her to tears. Instead, she found herself riddled with rage.

Yamcha took in a deep breath, figuring out that she must have seen his lunch date. "Look, I don't want you to be mad. I know it's hard but you'll get over me. You're a strong girl and—"

"You arrogant son of a bitch! Get over yourself and get away from me!" Bulma grabbed the car door. Giving it a strong jerk, she slammed it, almost cutting off Yamcha's fingers in the process. She drove away leaving him looking bewildered in the parking lot.

Bulma was squeezing the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Tears fell down her face. She exhaled trying to relax her tensed muscles but she was too frustrated.

When she got home Bulma threw herself on the living room couch, burying her face in a pillow. It smelled like cigarettes so she assumed her father had been here not too long ago. Getting a craving, Bulma pulled out a cigarette and put it between her lips. As she went to light it, she was reminded of Vegeta snatching one out of her mouth earlier and her lips curled into a small smile. _He's not even here and he's making me feel better. _Bulma chuckled at the thought.

"Oh Bulma, you're not smoking, are you?" Hearing her daughter come in, Mrs. Briefs had prepared a tray of pastries and tea.

"No mom, I was just using my mouth as a cigarette carton," Bulma quipped taking the cigarette out of her mouth.

"Good! You know I hate it when your father smokes inside. Don't you start too," warned Bulma's mother, as she put the tray down.

Bulma rolled her eyes and reached for little cake. Her mother poured tea for both of them.

"Is Yamcha stopping by today? I barely got to see him yesterday." Mrs. Briefs took a bite of cookie.

Bulma's voice was tense when she spoke, "No he's not. He won't be stopping by anymore."

"Why not?" Bulma's mother asked, genuinely confused. Bulma gave her a look that said "seriously?" Clearly she was going to have to spell it out or the dense blonde would not understand.

"We broke up, mother."

"Goodness! I had no idea. What a shame! He was really cute dear."

"Don't remind me." Bulma took a sip of her tea.

"You didn't hurt him too badly, did ya dear?" asked Mrs. Briefs, suddenly very concerned.

Bulma slammed her cup down. "That jackass broke up with me!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry honey! Well, don't you worry about it. You're a beautiful girl! I'm sure he's hurting as much as you are." She put her hand on her daughters shoulder, giving it as squeeze in an attempt to comfort her.

"Yeah right! He's already got himself a floozy!" Bulma clenched her fists. "I'll show him, though! I'll find my own hottie and lord him over Yamcha. Hell, I'll get two guys! Maybe three…" she drifted off, thinking seriously about it for a moment.

Her mother gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's not a competition, dear."

Bulma let out a sigh and sank into the couch. "Then why do I feel like I'm losing?"

After a long talk with her mother and a nice dinner Bulma went to bed, deciding that she would not let Yamcha get to her anymore. _I'm going to do something fun tomorrow. _

The next morning Bulma woke up with a good attitude. She went about her morning routine, taking a little extra time to curl her hair. Bulma wanted to look exceptionally good today, not only to feel better about herself, but also to make Yamcha regret leaving her. Slipping on a sleeveless red dress, she examined her figure in the mirror. _Perfect_,she thought but she grabbed a black cardigan sweater for the sake of staying in dress code. _I'll take it off when I need to. _

Bulma laughed evilly to herself on the way to work, as she thought of ways to torture Yamcha with the body he could no longer have—hers. She could strategically drop her pencil so she'd have to bend over in front of him to get it or maybe reach her arms up in a yawn while sticking her chest out ever so slightly...the possibilities were endless.

When Bulma got to the school, she stopped by the library to say hi to Chichi.

"Yes, I realize it makes an 'n' sound, Maron, but the author's last name is spelled **K**-N-U-T-T, therefore it goes in the **K **section! JUST PUT IT THERE AND STOP ARGUING WITH ME!" Chichi bellowed, pointing her assistant to the right section of the library.

"Morning, Chichi," Bulma said, approaching the desk.

Upon hearing Bulma's voice Chichi looked like a whistling tea kettle that had been moved off the stove, her outraged expression quickly turning into a smile. "Good morning, Bulma! You look nice today," complemented Chichi, taking in her friend's appearance.

"You think so?" Bulma laughed, "Thanks!"

They talked for a few moments more, mostly gossiping about who they thought Maron might be sleeping with. Bulma considered telling Chichi about her breakup but decided to save it for when they could talk for an extended amount of time.

Bulma reached her class a few minutes before the bell rang. After receiving many complements on her appearance (most notably—"Mrs. Briefs you look _bangin'_), Bulma started class.

During class changes she would go out into the hallways, hoping to run into Yamcha and exact her revenge but he wasn't around. She even started drifting around the other halls but there was still no sign of him.

At lunch time an annoyed Bulma went to the teacher's lounge with her lunch bag (after her bad luck with microwaves, she had given up on frozen meals). _I guess Yamcha wins this round too. _

Entering the lounge, she saw that Krillin and Goku were already there. Goku was pounding down an obscene amount of food, as usual, while Krillin was barely picking at a plate of spaghetti. They both looked up when she entered.

"Hey Bulma!" Goku said with a mouthful of food.

Krillin turned, and noticing Bulma's outfit, said, "Woah, what's the occasion?"

Bulma put her hands on her hips and walked up to the table. "No occasion. Can't a girl look nice once in a while?" The two men shrugged as she sat down.

Just then Chichi entered the room. She started to say hello when she saw Goku. "Goku! I told you not to fill up on cafeteria food!"

"I know Chichi, but I got so hungry waiting for you I figured I'd get something to snack on…" Goku scratched the back of his head.

"I made a huge lunch for you and now you're not going to be able to eat it!"

"I don't know," Krillin interjected, "I think the three hamburgers and tray of spaghetti was just an appetizer." They all laughed engaging in light conversation as Chichi pulled out the many Tupperware containers that filled the fridge.

Bulma wasn't really listening very much as she nibbled on her sandwich. She was lost in her thoughts until Chichi pulled her back.

"Bulma, do you want some?" she had just finished heating all the food.

"Huh? Oh no, I'm good. It looks delicious, though," Bulma said, watching Goku happily stuff his face. "Hey, do you know if anyone is absent today?"

Chichi shook her head. She wanted to ask why her friend wanted to know but Krillin spoke first. "Yeah, one of the math teachers is out today," a slight blush appeared on his cheeks, "Eighteen was annoyed that the sub kept interrupting her class to ask questions."

"Who is the sub?" asked Bulma in growing excitement at the prospect of her plans coming to fruition.

"Some young girl. I think she's new," Krillin answered, confused by Bulma's intensity.

Bulma felt stupid for getting her hopes up. She couldn't even remember what she was trying to accomplish. _Yamcha be damned! I told myself I was going to do something fun today! _Bulma slammed her fist on the table and stood, much to the confusion of her comrades. "I want to do something fun tonight!"

"Ok…like what?" Chichi asked.

"We could go to a club or—OH let's go to the karaoke bar!" Bulma looked at her friends eagerly. When they didn't say anything she continued, "Come on guys! We haven't gone out in a long time and we're still young! I'm not even thirty yet!"

"You're pretty close though right?" jibed Krillin. Bulma shot him a dangerous glare.

Chichi spoke up, "I don't know, Bulma. It's Thursday. We have to work tomorrow."

"Hmm I guess Maron was right about you being too old to be fun…" Bulma said thoughtfully.

"WHAT?! That is it! SHE'S GOING DOWN!" Chichi started for the door but Goku grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto his lap.

"Come on, Chichi, there's nothing wrong with being older," said Goku in an attempt to comfort the woman. His plan backfired as now her rage had turned on him.

"Yeah, if you just want to go home and watch Matlock like a grandma, that's fine with me," Bulma said nonchalantly.

Chichi let out a sigh. "We'll be there."

"Yeah! It sounds like fun!" Goku chortled, "Plus I haven't hung out with Yamcha in a while."

Bulma stiffened. "What makes you think he's coming?"

Goku tilted his head to the side. "Well because he's your—" Chichi, getting the hint, nudged him in the ribs.

"What about you? Are you coming?" Bulma quickly turned her attention to Krillin.

"Hell, why not?" Krillin said with a smile. He started to say something else but stopped himself. Bulma could see his inner debate playing out on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, you think…you think it would be cool if I invited Eighteen along?" Krillin looked up at her with a sheepish smile.

Bulma grinned. "So you want to use us as an excuse to ask her out?"

"What? N-no…it's just, you know, she's new this year and she hasn't made a lot of friends, s-so I thought it would be nice if…" Krillin sighed, "Yeah."

"It's not a problem!" Bulma laughed.

Chichi shook her head. "Really Krillin, you need to work on your confidence. You can't get a girl if you're waffling around all the time!"

As Chichi lectured Krillin on his posture and attitude, it dawned on Bulma that she was going to be the fifth wheel. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

Goku watched her sympathetically. He was having one of those unprecedented understanding moments. Having a pretty good idea what Bulma was thinking, Goku interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, you think Vegeta would want to come?"

Bulma almost burst into laughter. She couldn't imagine Vegeta doing anything remotely fun. "Is that a joke? I doubt he'd even consider it!"

"Sure he would!" Goku assured. "I'll ask him at practice today."

"Whatever," Bulma shrugged, trying to sound blasé. Secretly she found herself hoping he would come.

They set up a time to meet at the bar and cleaned up after themselves. Heading for the door, Bulma said goodbye to her friends. Before she was completely out of the room Chichi called after her. Bulma turned.

"Hey if you want to talk about anything before we go out, feel free to call me," Chichi said with a knowing look.

Bulma smiled. "I will."

When Bulma got home after work, she decided to go to her lab. Putting on a lab coat to protect her dress, she picked up the dented radar that sat on the table. Memories from the night she broke it, flooded back to her but she suppressed them. She really wanted to finish this project. After a few hours she did just that.

Proud of her accomplishment, Bulma showed the radar to her father before they ate dinner. Much to Mrs. Brief's dismay, the father and daughter spent the meal discussing ways to market the radar.

Once she ate dinner, Bulma called Chichi, as promised, and told her all about what had happened between her and Yamcha. Chichi comforted her friend by threatening to beat the living crap out of him. Although the prospect was amusing to Bulma, she told Chichi it wasn't necessary. They discussed other random topics for a while longer before Chichi finally had to go to get ready for the night.

Bulma was already prepared for the evening. All she had to do was freshen her hair and make up. They had planned to meet at ten so Bulma watched TV for an hour before finally heading out.

When she got to the karaoke bar she saw that Goku and Chichi were already there. To her surprise, sitting next to them with his usual grumpy expression was Vegeta. Even though it was a week night the bar was very crowded, filled mostly with college students.

Chichi stood up to greet Bulma with a hug. She wore a purple silk dress with a mandarin collar that stopped a few inches above her knee.

"You look good Chi!" Bulma had to raise her voice to be heard over the drunk who was loudly singing Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer".

"I know," Chichi laughed leading Bulma back to the table. When they reached it Goku waved at Bulma, giving her a big smile. Vegeta gave her a quick up and down glance before looking away.

"I have to say, Vegeta, I really didn't expect you to come," Bulma said to no response from Vegeta. She bent down, giving Goku a hug in his seat as an excuse to whisper, "How the hell did you get him here?"

"I promised to buy him beer," Goku mumbled

Bulma laughed, taking a seat next to Vegeta. She nudged him in the shoulder. "Come on, Vegeta! Loosen up! How 'bout I pick a fun song for you to sing?" Vegeta's gave her a disgusted look.

"Yeah, give it a try," said Goku, "I promise it's fun!"

Vegeta glared. "You said we were going to bar, Kakarot, not a karaoke place!"

"It is a bar. There just happens to be karaoke," Goku replied innocently.

Vegeta looked like he was about to launch a full scale attack on Goku so Bulma spoke up. "Calm down, Freckles. No one's going to make you sing. Why don't you just have a few drinks and chill?"

Chichi covered her mouth to contain her giggles at Bulma's use of Vegeta's new nickname.

Vegeta growled, "Stop calling me that!"

"Freckles?" Goku looked confused.

"Those drinks aren't going to get themselves, Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted, not wanting to divulge the meaning behind the nickname.

Just then Krillin arrived with Eighteen close behind him. He wore a red collared shirt with black pants while she was dressed in a short jean skirt with a fitted white tee and tight black vest.

"Eighteen! I'm so glad you could come," Bulma said. Eighteen nodded.

Krillin moved to pull out a chair for Eighteen to sit in but halted after she shot him a look. She pulled out the seat herself and sat in it.

"I was just about to go get drinks. Anyone wanna come?" said Goku, standing up.

Krillin fidgeted with his fingers and looked up at Eighteen. "Can I get you anything?"

"You want to buy a drink for little ol' me?" Eighteen answered sarcastically, "Spare me the suave gentlemen man act. I can pay for myself." She started digging through her purse for her wallet.

Noticing Krillin's anxiety, Chichi caught his eye, signaling him to be strong. He nodded, taking in a deep breath and mustering up his courage. As Eighteen pulled out her wallet, Krillin put his hand on hers to stop her. She looked at him, surprise clearly displayed in her eyes.

"I insist," he said with confidence. Eighteen nodded slowly. Bulma thought she could see a slight flush on the blonde's cheeks but it may have just been the lighting in the bar making her appear that way.

Goku turned to Chichi. "You want a drink?"

"I'd better not…" Chichi said.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "When did you get so boring Chichi?"

"I'm not boring!" she defended. "FINE! Get me a Long Island tea."

"That's my girl!" said Bulma, slapping her on the back. "A Long Island sounds nice…wait up guys!" she called after Goku and Krillin who had headed for the bar.

"Hey Bulma, let me buy yours too," Goku said when they reached the bar.

Bulma smiled at the thoughtfulness of her friend. "You don't have to do that." She glanced around until she locked eyes with an attractive man. "I think someone else will."

As if on cue, the man walked up, offering to buy Bulma a drink. She smiled sweetly in acceptance. Making her way back to her table, she made sure to turn and give the man a wink. After Bulma very quickly downed her drink, she herded Chichi over to the karaoke sign up.

By the time they got back to the table, Bulma had garnered even more male attention. Guys strolled over to talk to her, offering her more drinks and asking for dances. Chichi and Eighteen also caught the men's eyes but upon further investigation they found out that Chichi was taken and that Eighteen was terrifying.

Bulma was having a blast. At this point she had no idea who she was dancing with. She started with one guy only to be pulled aside by someone else. It didn't really matter to her, though, as long as they didn't step on her feet. Browsing around the room, Bulma looked to see if her friends were having fun too.

Chichi had dragged Goku onto the dance floor, Eighteen and Krillin had found permanent positions sitting at the bar in deep conversation, and Vegeta was sitting by himself, on his fourth beer, looking sour. A few women had walked over in an attempt to make conversation with him but were forced to give up as he was either rude or completely unresponsive. Bulma noted that every now and then he would watch her and when he saw that she had noticed his gaze, he looked away. She excused herself from her random dance partner to go back to the table. Bulma threw herself into the chair next to Vegeta with an exhausted sigh.

"You don't look like your having very much fun," Bulma said.

"I'm not," he answered curtly.

Bulma leaned toward him, poking his chest with her finger. "Then why don't you just leave?" Vegeta could tell the alcohol was having an effect on her as she slurred her words a bit.

"I like free beer," dismissed Vegeta.

"Oh come on! I've seen the girls coming up to you. Pick one! Loosen up a little!"

Vegeta snorted, "I think you're doing that enough for the both of us."

"Jesus! It is impossible to be nice to you!" Bulma was about to launch a verbal assault when a man walked up to the table with two shots. "Hey! Didn't I dance with you?" she asked him, instantly distracted.

"Yeah, I just wanted to show my thanks. Do you do shots?" he said, putting one of the glasses in front of her.

Bulma raised her eyebrow. "Do I do shots?! HA!" She raised the shot glass and at the count of three the pair drank. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Are you up for another dance—that is if your boy doesn't mind?"

Looking at Vegeta, Bulma let out a laugh. "What do you say, prude? Do I have your permission?"

"I could care less," he said looking away from her. In fact, he did care. For some reason he was extremely bothered. A blonde with long wavy hair noticed his brooding and walked over to him.

"What's wrong cutie?" she asked.

Vegeta grunted, looking away.

She grabbed his hand. "I bet a dance would cheer you up."

Vegeta scanned the woman's figure. She wore a very short, very tight black dress. He shrugged and guzzled the last of his beer before allowing the woman to lead him to the dance floor.

_Well I'll be damned, _Bulma thought, when she saw Vegeta on the dance floor out of the corner of her eye. It was sort of a funny sight, actually. The blonde woman seemed to be using him like a stripper pole, as Vegeta wasn't really moving much. Bulma's eyes met his. She turned her back on her dance partner allowing him to grind on her and gave Vegeta a wink.

When Bulma's turn came to take the mike she was past tipsy, having had three very strong Long Islands and many shots. She wobbled onto the stage, laughing wildly at her inability to walk straight. At this point she had lost her shoes.

"How's everybody doin?" The bar crowd let out a loud cheer in response to Bulma's question. Many men hooted and whistled at her. She blew them kisses. "Thank you, boys! You've all been so much fun!"

"How much has she had to drink?" whispered Chichi to Goku. He simply shook his head in response. Chichi herself was a bit tipsy but she was nowhere near Bulma's level.

"This goes out to that prick Yamcha!" announced Bulma as the music to Pink's "So What" started to play.

"I guess I just lost my BOYFRIEND! I don't know where he went!" She wasn't singing as much as she was wailing, "So I'm gonna drink my money! I'm not gonna pay his rent!"

Bulma gave the audience a great show. As she hit the chorus, she leaped from the stage onto the closest table.

"SO SO WHAT! I'M STILL A ROCK STAR! I GOT MY ROCK MOVES AND I DON'T NEED YOU!" Bulma was steadied by the guys at the table as she almost fell. "AND GUESS WHAT? I'M HAVING MORE FUN! AND NOW THAT WE'RE DONE I'M GONNA SHOW YOUUUUUU!"

A couple of bartenders decided to make her show more interesting so they lifted her off the table and moved her to the bar where she began to strut back and forth singing, "TONIGHT! I'M ALRIGHT! I'M JUST FINE! AND YOU'RE A TOOL SOOOOOO SO WHAT!"

Krillin and Eighteen looked up at her in shock as she kicked over many drinks. At the end of her performance she dived off the bar into the arms of the crowd. The whole place erupted into applause. Once Bulma got back on her feet she bowed graciously, trying very hard to stay standing.

Chichi was up next. She pulled Goku on stage with her. "I'm not sure I want to follow that," she said into the microphone, causing the crowd to laugh and clap. They sang "I've Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher. Chichi was actually a pretty good singer. Goku, on the other hand, was dreadful but he did it for Chichi, even though he was extremely embarrassed.

Bulma made her way through the crowd, getting an occasional hoot or back pat, until she ran into what felt like a brick wall. It was Vegeta.

"That was quite a spectacle," he said snidely.

Bulma turned up her nose at him. "I thought you could care less?" Vegeta merely grunted in response.

A sudden tug on her arm, took Bulma's attention away from Vegeta. One of the men she had danced with was pulling her away.

"That was quite a performance, missy," he said smiling mischievously at her.

"Thanks!' Bulma started to turn away when he pulled her back.

"What d'ya say we get out a here?"

"I don't think so." Bulma tried to pull away but he was holding her too tightly. "Let me go!"

"Come on, sugar. After the way we were dancing you can't tell me you don't wanna."

The man's grip loosened when a hand reached for his throat. He looked over to see a shorter man with a furious expression on his face.

"You should really listen when people say no," Vegita said viciously as he lifted the man up by his throat. Bulma moved out of his grasp.

The man was shocked by Vegeta's strength. In a hoarse voice he spoke, "I'm sorry man! It was a misunderstanding!" Vegeta narrowed his eyes and raised his fist.

"Stop, Vegeta! Let him go," Bulma said. Vegeta reluctantly dropped the man, allowing him to scramble away.

"Jeez Vegeta, are you trying to get kicked out?"

Vegeta's furrowed his eyebrows in a mixture of confusion and anger. "Is this the thanks I get for saving your ass?"

"I didn't need your help!" said Bulma smugly, "I had it all under control! You men are all so arrogant!" With that, she turned and made her way to the exit.

Vegeta stood in confusion for a moment. _What the hell is her problem? _He thought in frustration as he stomped after her.

Outside, Bulma was attempting to bum a cigarette when Vegeta busted through the door, looking for her. Seeing him, she hid behind a random bystander.

"I see you there, woman!" Vegeta barked. Bulma stuck her tongue out at him. "Stop acting like a child! What is your problem?"

"If you wanna know you're gonna have to catch me!" she taunted as she turned to run. Vegeta pursued her around the building.

Vegeta didn't have any trouble catching up to her. He was already a fast runner and the fact that Bulma was still very drunk didn't help her getaway. Grabbing her, he pinned her against the wall to keep her from escaping again, taking care not the hurt her. To his surprise the woman was laughing hysterically.

"Control yourself, woman. Do you have any idea what would have happened to you if I didn't step in?" Vegeta warned.

Bulma ended her laughter with a sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck with a playful smile, "Let me thank you properly."

Vegeta's eyes widened in shock as Bulma pulled him into a kiss. Unable to form any semblance of a thought, he found himself reciprocating. They kissed deeply for a long time. He gripped Bulma's waist as she drew him closer, wrapping her leg around his. Their lips parted for a second when Bulma let out an excited gasp because Vegeta had placed his hand under her knee, raised her leg, and pressed her against the wall. She moved her hand from his neck, down his chest until she reached his belt buckle, unlatching it.

Abruptly, Vegeta broke away from her. It was as if Bulma had pushed some sort of off switch. He let go of her leg and just stared into her eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue. In fact, at this moment, he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything but he couldn't do it. The woman was well past intoxicated and it wasn't right.

Bulma looked up at him with her brows wrinkled slightly in confusion. She moved her face forward to reconnect their lips, only to have Vegeta back away. He let go of her waist and turned, refastening his belt.

"You should tell one of your friends to take you home," Vegeta said gruffly, his back still facing her. He started to walk when he heard her sob, inexplicably making him feel like his chest was being constricted.

"What's wrong with me?" she whimpered, "Am I not good enough?" Vegeta turned to see tears streaking down her face. Bulma felt like garbage. First Yamcha had thrown her away and now Vegeta was rejecting her. She started sliding down the wall when Vegeta moved to stop her. He cupped her face in his hands. With surprising softness, he touched his lips to hers. When their lips parted, Bulma looked up at him, her eyes still filled with tears. Looking down into the blue pools, Vegeta wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"Pull yourself together," he said, "Self pity doesn't suit you."

Bulma sniffed, nodding her head and rubbing her eyes. She tried to stand up straight but found it difficult. Vegeta allowed her to lean on him for support as they walked back into the bar. When they got in Vegeta directed her towards Goku.

"Is she alright?" Goku asked, surprised at her condition. Bulma's head was falling on Vegeta's shoulder as she started to lose consciousness.

"She's fine. Go find your woman and tell her to deal with this," Vegeta ordered. Goku did as he was told, heading off towards the bathroom, to wait for Chichi to get out.

Vegeta looked down at Bulma. "Don't fall asleep on me, woman," he said, trying to shake her awake. She proved to be unresponsive and almost fell over when Vegeta tried to stand her up. With an annoyed grumble he placed her arms around his neck and scooped her up. Goku and Chichi returned shortly. Chichi gasped when she saw Bulma's condition.

Her shock quickly turned to anger as she turned on Vegeta. "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't _do _anything. She did it to herself," he responded with annoyance.

Chichi stared at him for a moment before deciding to believe him. "Goku take her to her car. We'll drive her home. I'm going to tell Krillin we're leaving."

Vegeta gave Bulma one more glance before handing her over to Goku. As Goku took her out of the bar, he stood and watched for a moment before sitting at the bar to order another beer.

The bar had cleared out significantly. Only a small fraction of the previous crowd was still there. Eighteen stood up on the stage, her face red. She was singing, or speaking rather, "When I Need You" (sung by many artists—Luther Vandross, Celine Dion, etc) while Krillin stood at the edge of the stage cheering her on. Clearly they were both drunk. They decided to stay behind when Chichi told them she, Goku, and Bulma were leaving.

Swigging his beer, Vegeta sat at the bar brooding. He was highly unsettled by the recent events, unhappy with his lack of self control and the effect that the blue haired woman seemed to have on him. He was actually worried about her. A touch on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I thought I lost you," said the vivacious blonde from earlier. Vegeta looked her up and down before returning to his beer with a grunt. She sat in the stool next to him, talking about things he really didn't care about or listen to. Soon she scooted closer to him, whispering in his ear. Vegeta downed the rest of his beer and permitted the woman to lead him out of the bar. He would go home with her tonight.

* * *

I had a lot of trouble with this chapter and I still feel wierd about it. Let me know what you think please! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter 6

Vegeta sat on the edge of a bed, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. He looked down at his hands. A few hours ago they rested on the hips of a beautiful blue haired woman. Even though he tried to distract himself, she had not left his thoughts since then.

His distraction stirred behind him. "It's early," she said drowsily, sliding closer to him. "Let's sleep some more."

The blonde reached out and touched the base of his back. Vegeta tensed as she traced his spine with her finger.

"I have to go to work," Vegeta replied gruffly.

She looked over at the clock. "It's only four thirty. What exactly do you do?" she asked, lifting herself up to sit behind him.

"I'm a teacher." As he answered, she slipped her arms around him, pressing her chest against his back. Vegeta wanted nothing more that to throw the bitch off but he restrained himself.

"School doesn't start this early," the blonde said starting a trail of kisses across his arm up to his neck. In between each kiss she spoke, "Stay for a while. Take a shower. I'll join you…" She reached his face and moved to kiss his lips, only to have Vegeta move away. He stood, causing the woman to fall backwards onto the bed, and looked for his belongings.

"Alright," the blonde sighed, wrapping herself in sheets to cover her nudity. She reached into a drawer on her bedside table and pulled out a piece of paper to write on. When Vegeta dressed himself, she approached him. Stuffing the paper in his front pocket she said, "Here. You were a lot of fun last night. Give me a call if you're ever bored and need something to do."

Vegeta shrugged off her double entendre. Leaving the woman alone in her bedroom, he showed himself to the door. When he got into his car, he pulled out the piece of paper. She had written her name and number on it. Apparently, her name was Diana. With a snort Vegeta crumpled the paper and threw it aside.

Bulma shoved her head under a pillow to drown out the screeching sound of her alarm. She punched blindly at her clock until it was silenced. A few minutes later Mrs. Briefs walked into the room and shrieked at the sight of her daughter. Bulma shot up, clutching her ears.

"What the hell, mom?! Are you trying to make my skull explode?" Bulma held her head as if it was about to break in two.

"I'm sorry dear!" Bulma's mother said, letting out a sigh of relief, "I thought your head was missing!"

Bulma rolled her eyes, lying back down. "It was under my pillow…" She wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Not only did she have a splitting headache but she was nauseous and the room was still spinning. _Great idea Bulma! Get trashed on a Thursday. What was I thinking?! _

"Remind me to find a cure for the hangover next time I'm brainstorming for project ideas," Bulma groaned to her mother.

Mrs. Briefs sat down on the bed next to her, with glass of water and ibuprofen. "Here take this." She handed the pill to Bulma. "You know if you want I can call the school for you and tell them your sick."

"You don't have to do that anymore, mom. I'm not a child." Despite herself, Bulma couldn't help but smile at her mother's sweetness. "Besides, I really shouldn't miss work." She forced herself to stand, almost spilling her glass of water as she wobbled over to the bathroom.

"Alright, then come downstairs when your ready. I'll have a yummy breakfast waiting for you." And with that Mrs. Briefs bounced out of the room.

Food was the last thing Bulma wanted but she knew eating was a good idea. After a quick shower, she got dressed and did her make up, taking extra care to hide the bags that had formed under her eyes. Luckily her wooziness had mostly worn off at this point. She took a few bites of waffle before leaving for work.

As she drove, Bulma started recalling the events of the night before, embarrassment growing in the pit of her stomach. She stomped her foot on the break abruptly as a particularly unsettling memory surfaced. Luckily, no one was driving behind her. _Oh my god, I made out with Vegeta! _ _And I almost…_

A smile curled the corner of her lips when she remembered the way Vegeta's hands groped her. She shook her feelings out of her head, not quite sure what to make of them. _But he stopped. He could have taken advantage of me but he didn't. _The feeling of shame came back to her, as she remembered her breakdown. _I guess I should thank him…and probably apologize. _

A car honked behind her, pulling her from her thoughts. Remembering where she was she continued driving to the school. When she got there, she ran into Chichi in the parking lot.

Chichi immediately began fussing over her. "How are you feeling? Did you end up puking?"

"I'm fine, Chi! I've just been trying to piece together my night," Bulma laughed, a little ashamed, "I think I figured most of it out, except for how I got home."

"Well, you disappeared for a while and then Vegeta showed up carrying you. Me and Goku took you home."

They walked as they talked, ending up in the cafeteria where Goku was eating breakfast. Chichi kissed him on the cheek not wanting to interrupt his eating.

"Morning!" Goku greeted after swallowing his last bite of food. "How're you feeling Bulma?"

"I've been better," said Bulma sardonically. "Hey, do you know where Vegeta is right now?"

"Yeah, he was in the weight room when I left. Why?" Goku looked at Bulma with a raised eyebrow.

A commotion interrupted Bulma's reply. A voice shouted, "EAT ORANGE SLICES, DORK WAD!" The teachers turned to see two tables in the beginnings of a food fight. They would have to stop it before it spread through the cafeteria.

Chichi jumped to her feet, prepared to yell but Goku stopped her. "Let me handle it, Chichi."

As an orange slice flew through the air approaching its intended victim, Goku leaped forward to intercept it, catching it in his mouth. The warring tables paused in confusion.

"Mmmm, that was good! Hey," he said gesturing at a student, "throw me a grape."

The student did as he was told, laughing as his gym teacher caught it with his mouth. Chichi and Bulma watched in amazement as Goku started a catching-food-in-mouth competition between the two tables.

"Well, at least the food's going in their mouths and not on the floor. The janitors should be pleased," Bulma laughed.

Chichi sighed, gazing at her man in admiration. "Someday, I'm going to marry that man."

"Does he know that?" Bulma asked.

"Not yet."

Bulma left the cafeteria, making her way to the weight room. The closer she got, the more nervous she felt. How would he act around her? Obviously, things were going to be awkward.

_It will only be awkward if you make it that way_, Bulma said to herself. _Who cares what he thinks anyway? I'm Bulma Briefs damnit! I am not afraid of any ma—_"AHH" Bulma yelped as the weight room door opened. She started to run away when she realized it was just Jordan.

"Hey Ms. B, you okay?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine! You just startled me," Bulma said, trying to slow down her heart rate, "Is your coach in there?"

"Naw, he left a few minutes ago. Seeya!" Jordan turned and headed for the locker room.

Bulma let out a sigh. She wanted to give up and go to her classroom but she decided to check Vegeta's office first. _I'm going to have to see him eventually. I might as well get it out of the way. _

When she reached his office, the door was closed. She put her hand on the door knob, bracing herself. _Come on, Bulma you can do this. It's just a quick sorry and a thank you. _She took in a deep breath. _I can't do it! _

Bulma turned to leave when she saw Vegeta making his way down the hall. She twisted herself around in the opposite direction to escape but realized it was futile. The only way out of this hallway was through Vegeta.

"What are you doing?" Vegeta scowled at her in an effort to suppress laughter. The woman was clearly struggling with something and she looked ridiculous.

"Vegeta! Just the man I was looking for," Bulma said trying to compose herself.

Vegeta grunted, opening his door. Without looking at her, he entered and sat at his desk, opening a notebook that was sitting in front of him. Bulma stepped in cautiously. She peered down at his papers to see that he was working on football plays.

"Are those for the game next week?"

Vegeta glanced up at her then back down at his notebook. "Did you need something?"

Bulma inhaled sharply. _Well at least he's not acting weird around me. _"I wanted to talk to you about last night."

"Listen, woman," Vegeta put his pen down and looked up at her, "there is nothing to talk about. Don't read too much into it."

"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior and thank you for looking out for me," Bulma furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean don't read too much into it?"

"Just what it sounds like! What happened last nigh—"

Bulma cut him off. "Oh are you talking about when you were groping me?"

"What?" Vegeta's eyebrows raised in shock. He quickly recovered. "_You_ threw yourself at me!"

"I didn't hear you complaining!" Bulma crossed her arms over her chest. "I was drunk. What was your excuse?"

"Oh please woman," Vegeta said, leaning back in his chair, "I've already seen what you have to offer and it's not enough to tempt me." That was a lie. Even now, as Vegeta watched her move her arms to her hips, all he could think about was throwing her on his desk and ravaging her.

Bulma's initial response was rage but there was something in the way he was eyeing her that made her choose a different tactic. She slowly moved around his desk and lifted herself up to sit on it.

"So, you're saying you don't find me attractive?" Bulma crossed her legs. Her skirt rode up a bit revealing some of her thigh. She smiled to herself as she watched Vegeta's eyes drift down to her legs.

Catching himself, Vegeta quickly averted his eyes and stood. "Are you finished?" He started to walk past her but Bulma stuck her leg out to stop him. She was enjoying this game far too much.

"Why? Is something bothering you?" She reached out and smoothed his shirt. As she moved her hands across his chest she looked up at him. When their eyes met Bulma forgot herself for a moment. Suddenly, she wanted very much to kiss him and he looked like he wouldn't stop her.

She moved in closer. When Vegeta didn't move away, Bulma smirked. _Should I? _

"Vegeta…" whispered Bulma.

"What?" Vegeta's voice was low and much softer than usual.

"You're such a liar." She shoved his shoulder, grinning at him.

Vegeta clenched his fists. "Damnit woman…" He tried to think of something to say to regain his pride but for the first time, he was speechless. Luckily the bell rang seconds later.

"Well, we better get to our classes," Bulma bounced off Vegeta's desk and out of the room, feeling very pleased with the effects of her feminine wiles. Vegeta watched her go. After the excitement, he needed a moment before he could leave his office.

Bulma reached her classroom five minutes later. Her students scolded her tardiness, joking that they should give her detention.

"Alright, alright settle down. I'm sorry I was late. I had some business to attend to." Bulma said quieting her class. She shifted their attention to their books and started her lecture. Bulma's morning encounter with Vegeta had inflated her ego and the students noticed the change. She seemed spryer than she had been in while.

At lunch time Bulma made her usual journey to the teacher's lounge but to her dismay no one she cared about was there. The only person sitting in the room was Mr. Jorgen, infamous for being the most boring teacher in the school. She nodded a greeting and sat down with her lunch. After Bulma suffered five minutes of awkward conversation with Mr. Jorgen, Krillin and Chichi entered.

"Hey guys!" Bulma squeaked sounding a little too excited.

Chichi laughed when she saw who Bulma was sitting with. She took out her food and sat in the seat next to Bulma while Krillin microwaved a frozen burrito. Goku and Vegeta entered shortly after with food trays in their hands. They were discussing football strategy. Goku greeted Chichi with a gentle shoulder squeeze. Vegeta, who was ignoring Bulma when he first entered, decided to glare at her. Bulma smirked and gave him a wink.

Once his food was hot, Krillin started to exit the lounge.

"Where are you going?" Bulma asked, "Aren't you going to eat with us?"

Krillin gave her a sheepish grin. "Actually, I was going to go eat with Eighteen in her room."

The women grinned at each other before turning their attention back on Krillin. Chichi walked over to him, making sure to block his way to the door and prodded him. "So, you and Eighteen, huh? You're really hitting it off?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Krillin flushed.

"Anything interesting happen last night?" Chichi asked nosily.

"What?! Whaddaya mean?" Krillin started backing away only to bump into Bulma, who had stealthily gotten into position behind him.

"You know…" Bulma bent down to his level and whispered, "You hit that?"

Krillin's face got two shades redder. He stammered, "I-I…no o-of course I di—th-that's really not something I-I think I should be talking ab—" He looked over at Goku and Vegeta for help but they were purposely focusing on their food. The women continued to eye him with big grins on their faces. He continued, a little more resolutely, "Vegeta's the one that went home with a girl last night! Why am I getting the third degree?"

Vegeta choked on his food in shock. He snapped his head in Krillin's direction, narrowing his eyes.

Chichi raised her eyebrow at Vegeta and Bulma looked completely stunned. Krillin used this opportunity to flee the room.

Vegeta eyes encountered Bulma's briefly. He turned quickly away from her gaze, unable to bear the way she was looking at him. He glowered at his food. _Why is she looking at me like that? Why does she care? Why do I? _Vegeta mentally yelled at himself, _I don't owe her anything!_ He wasn't quite sure he actually felt that way. Bulma turned and swiftly left the room.

This confused Chichi. She moved to go after her when Goku spoke to stop her. "Let her go, Chichi. She's probably chasing after Krillin. You know how she is when she doesn't get what she wants…"

Goku knew that wasn't true but Chichi seemed to believe him. She shrugged and sat back down, noticing that Goku was watching Vegeta fixedly. Chichi could tell he was thinking about something but she assumed he would tell her later so she didn't inquire.

Bulma sat at her desk with her head down. She couldn't quite figure out how she was feeling. On the one hand she was angry but on the other she felt like she had no right to be. Overall she was confused and embarrassed. _I was so proud of myself! I thought I had some sort of power over Vegeta but it turns out he actually passed over me for someone else! Not that I __**wanted **__to sleep with him…_Bulma's thoughts floated to what that experience might be like. She slapped her forehead repeatedly as if beating the idea out of her head. _What is wrong with me? _

Soon the bell rang and her class filtered in. As she lectured, Bulma was glad to take the focus off herself

"Any questions?" asked Bulma at the end of her lecture. Looking at the clock, she was surprised at how quickly she had gone through the material. "No? Alright then, go ahead and start on the study guide. We'll go over it on Monday so you'll be ready for the test Tuesday." She sat down at her desk, busying herself with the tedious task of recording grades.

Most of the students only worked on their study guides for two minutes before striking up conversations with each other. Bulma let them continue, not feeling much like quieting them down. She could hear words being exchanged near her.

"Hey Jordan, are you going to the dance?" asked a boy with shaggy blonde hair to the football player next to him.

Jordan didn't look up from his study guide. "Yeah, I think so."

_Crap! _Bulma thought, _I forgot all about that! _Her stomach turned as she realized she would be chaperoning with Vegeta. She had planned on avoiding him for as long as possible. The feeling faded as Bulma continued listening to the students talking.

The blonde haired boy nudged his shoulder. "Who you going with?"

"I don't know yet," Jordan responded, his gaze drifting over his other shoulder towards the green-haired science prodigy named Clara.

"Well you better hurry! You don't have a lot of time left."

"Yeah," Jordan said distractedly. Bulma watched Jordan suddenly lift his head with a determined look on his face. It appeared as though he'd made up his mind to do something. He closed his book, throwing his pencil in to keep the page and walked over to the desk beside Clara. A smaller boy sat in it, looking anxiously at the large boy who had approached. Jordan tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing to the desk he had just left. The smaller boy leapt out of his desk and moved to Jordan's old seat.

Clara watched this exchange out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it so she ignored it, continuing to work on her study guide. Jordan sat down in the desk next to her and opened his book. He looked over at her apprehensively. One of his legs was twitching under the desk.

Jordan took in a deep breath. "Hey, Clara?" When she turned to look at him, all his resolve melted away. "I-I was, uh, having trouble with number seven. Can you help me?"

Three days ago Bulma had appointed Clara to tutor Jordan so she didn't find it odd that he came to her. When they first met she had assumed that he was a bumbling idiot but the more time she spent with him the more willing Jordan was to learn. Clara was surprised at how regularly he would seek her out for help, coming to her study hall and asking to meet up with her after football practice.

"Sure, I've already done that one," Clara said. She scooted her desk closer to his to show and explain her work to him. Her closeness was clearly making Jordan nervous.

Bulma covered her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles. She had not seen this coming! Not wanting the pair to see her watching them, she opened a notebook and pretended to read it. They were a welcome diversion from Bulma's other thoughts.

"Does that make sense?" Clara asked after she finished explaining. When Jordan nodded she started to move her desk back.

"One more thing," Jordan said quickly, not wanting to lose this opportunity. He creased his brow in concentration, trying to find the right words.

They shared a quiet moment until Clara finally supplied, "What is it?"

"Do you…um so, the dance tonight..."

Clara raised her eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Are you going? Do you have someone? I mean that's—has anyone asked you to the dance?" Jordan looked away from her, mentally kicking himself for his lack of verbal prowess.

"No," Clara's expression saddened but she quickly recovered, "I don't care, though. I probably have some other things I can work on."

Jordan's face brightened, "Would you want to go with me?"

Clara looked as if she hadn't heard him properly. "You want to take me to the dance?"

Jordan nodded quickly. Clara put her hands on her cheeks to cover up the dashes of pink she knew were appearing there. "Okay, sure."

Bulma squeaked in excitement, causing the whole class to look at her. _Damnit, Bulma! Control yourself! _

She attempted to come up with a plausible explanation for her embarrassing outburst. "Sorry, I was just—these grades! You guys are doing so well, it gets me all excited!" Bulma laughed nervously, "Keep up the good work!"

Slowly the class returned to what they were doing. Minutes later, the bell rang and they left. Bulma finished recording the rest of the grades and put her papers away in a drawer. As she looked around her empty room (sixth period is her free period), exhaustion overtook her. She yawned. _If I keep sitting here, I'm going to fall asleep. _

Bulma decided to go back to the teacher's lounge to get some coffee. She wondered if the rest of her lunch would still be sitting there. On her way there, Bulma heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction. Vegeta appeared around the corner. Bulma panicked and ran into the nearest classroom. He didn't see her because he was deep in thought.

Panting, Bulma opened the door slightly to peer through the crack. Vegeta seemed to be headed to her classroom. _What does he want? _

"Mrs. Briefs?" The detached voice startled Bulma. She turned to see Eighteen standing in front of a full classroom. Eighteen was giving her a what-are-you-doing look.

"Oh! Is this your classroom?" Bulma gave a fake laugh, "I thought—this is so funny! This isn't my classroom! My bad, I still get disoriented in these halls sometimes! My classroom's the other way isn't it? HA!" The whole room stared at her. They weren't convinced. "Alright then, I will let you guys continue class. Sorry for the interruption!"

Bulma exited the room, letting out a breath she had been holding in. She crept back to her room, keeping an eye out for Vegeta. Strategically, she positioned herself to see into her open door. Her fears were confirmed. Vegeta was looking out one of the room's windows, waiting for her.

_I have nothing to say to him! _Bulma thought stubbornly. She turned on her heel, going through with her original plan to get coffee. Surely he would be gone when she returned.

Bulma took her sweet time with her coffee, sipping it slowly. Two other teachers were in the lounge talking and she joined in on their conversation. Once she was convinced she had wasted enough time, Bulma left. She cautiously approached her room only to see that Vegeta was still there. He had taken to pacing back and forth in front of the window. Bulma looked around. What would she do now?

Just then she spotted a student, Jared, walking towards the bathroom. She hastily tiptoed over to him. "Pssst," she whispered, "Jared!"

"Hey, Ms. Br—" Bulma covered his mouth with her hand and pulled him over to where she was sure Vegeta couldn't see them.

"Keep it down! I need a favor." Jared looked completely bewildered but she continued, "Veg—Mr. Prince is in my classroom right now. I need you to get him out; distract him or something."

"No way! I don't know if you realized but me and him aren't exactly on good terms," Jared answered.

"I'll give you ten bucks."

"Done," Jared held out his hand, "money upfront."

Bulma was taken aback by his quick change of heart. "I don't have it on me. I left my purse in the room but I promise I will pay you after. Now, go!" Jared nodded and tore down the hall.

"Bribing a student?" The voice made Bulma jump. She turned to see Principle Roshi. "That's not right!"

Bulma rolled her eyes. She didn't think much of her boss's morals. "I'll let you touch my boob for three seconds if you let it go."

"What? That's completely inappropriate…" his cheeks had turned rosy

"Five seconds," she countered.

"Ten!"

Bulma stood with her arms akimbo. "Take what you can get, old man."

"Alright, deal!" Roshi sniggered excitedly as he moved closer and cupped her breast. Bulma knew this was a despicable trade but she trade but she tried to look at it as charity. When was the last time the old man got any action?

Bulma counted through gritted teeth. "Five…four…thr-NO SQUEEZING! Two…one! Okay, hands off before I sue you!"

Roshi let go of her, giggling and looking at his hand. The sound of rushed footsteps told Bulma that Jared was coming her way with Vegeta, so she quickly ran into the bathroom.

"Hehehe I still got it!" Roshi said to himself as he walked away.

Jared had managed to get his teacher to follow him by leading him to believe there was an emergency that needed his attention. Vegeta stopped just outside the bathrooms. "That's enough, boy! I'm not going any further until you tell me what the problem is."

Bulma pressed her ear to the bathroom door so she could hear better.

Jared hadn't thought this part out yet. He looked around. "Uh well, I have to go to the bathroom."

Vegeta glared at the student. "And that calls for my immediate attention why?"

"It's just that…everyone says this bathroom…is haunted! I heard a noise and I'm scared to go in there." Jared tried to look as sincere as possibly.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Vegeta turned to leave.

Jared called out, "Wait! Could you just check it out for me? I really have to go!"

Vegeta reluctantly pushed open the bathroom door and quickly glanced around. Jared followed him in.

"There's nothing here! Happy?" Vegeta snarled.

Jared again stopped him from leaving. "Do you think you could stay here while I…you know."

"What? No! What are you five? Be a man!"

"Please?" Jared wined. He thought the look on Vegeta's face was hilarious and it was taking everything he had to contain his laughter.

"Fine!" growled Vegeta, turning to face the opposite wall as Jared started to use the urinal.

When he finished Jared thanked Vegeta and ran off. He couldn't wait to tell his friends that he managed to convince their history teacher to protect him from ghosts as he peed.

Bulma pushed the door open a little so she could see out into the hall. She watched Vegeta walk in the direction of his own classroom. He looked very disgruntled. Once the coast was clear she went back to her room. Looking up at the clock she saw that the period was almost over.

Bulma was dreading the way time flew by. Each hour passing meant that the dance was getting nearer. _It'll be a lot harder to avoid him if we're forced to be in the same room. _

That night Bulma got to the dance a few minutes before her 8:30 shift. She wanted to see Chichi and Goku who were working the shift before. Chichi was watching Goku attempt to do the "Cha Cha slide" when Bulma joined her. They shared a laugh as they watched him try to figure out how to "Charlie Brown."

"Hey Ms. Briefs," greeted a nervous voice from behind. It was Mr. Dylan. Bulma had forgotten that she had compelled him to volunteer.

"Hi! You can call me Bulma, you know. Actually, I don't think I know your first name."

"It's Tom. You look very nice Bulma."

"Aw thank you! You're sweet." Bulma was looking around the room for Vegeta. He should have been there by now.

"Well I guess we'll be going," Chichi said when Goku came back from the dance floor. Bulma hugged her friends goodbye. As she watched them go, she saw Vegeta enter the gym.

"Walk with me, Tom." Bulma grabbed his arm and lead him around the room. Tom twitched anxiously at her touch. He started yammering about something but Bulma wasn't really listening. She was focused on keeping her distance from Vegeta. Every now and then she would seperate young couples who had started making out.

Vegeta noticed her efforts to get away from him. Every time he'd take a step in her direction, she moved farther away. It was maddening and the fact that she was clinging on to some wimp was making it worse. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Vegeta felt the need to justify himself to the woman. He also wanted to know what she thinking. Was she hurt or mad at him? _Damn that woman! Who does she think she is? She has no right to make me feel guilty. I didn't do anything wrong! _

While Bulma traveled around the gymnasium with Mr. Dylan, she spotted Clara and Jordan sitting awkwardly on the bleachers. She moved over to them.

"Hey guys! Aren't you gonna dance? I hear that's what you do at these things."

They both blushed. Jordan looked over at his date. "We can if you want. I'm just not very good," he said sounding a bit embarrassed.

"I'm not a very good dancer either," Clara responded.

"Oh come on! Mr. Dylan and I will show you how it's done. What d'ya say?" Mr. Dylan turned pale at Bulma's suggestion but nodded. When they walked onto the dance floor, a slow song started to play. Everyone but Bulma looked terrified.

"Don't be shy now," Bulma said, "put your arms around each other! Like this, see." She put her arms around Mr. Dylan's neck and signaled him to put his around her waist. The young couple imitated the older pair. Their initial timidity wore off, as they focused on each other, quickly forgetting the presence of everyone else in the room. Bulma smiled. They looked cute together.

Mr. Dylan was not the best dance partner. He was very fidgety and Bulma could tell he was making a great effort to not step on her feet.

"I've never had a woman ask me out before," he started bashfully, "especially one as beautiful as you. I'm very flattered."

Bulma stopped dancing. "Oh god, is that what you think?" Having been completely ignorant of his affections, she suddenly felt very guilty. She understood how he could misconstrue the situation. She tried to sound as nice as possible. "I didn't mean for this to be a date. I just wanted someone to talk to. If I led you to believe otherwise, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Oh, wow, I feel kinda silly," Tom said laughing uncomfortably. "So you wouldn't want to go out on a real date then?

Bulma gave him and empathetic look. "You're very sweet, not to mention cute," she actually considered dating him for a moment but realized it would only be for the sake of not being alone, "but I just got out of a pretty serious relationship so I'm not looking to get into anything right now. I'm sorry."

"No I'm sorry. I shoulda—" a tap on Mr. Dylan's shoulder interrupted him. Vegeta, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, was standing behind him.

"Go check the bathroom," he ordered, "I think someone's smoking in there."

Dylan had always been afraid of Vegeta (as were most people) so he did what he was told. Bulma mentally kicked herself for forgetting to keep track of Vegeta's whereabouts. She tried to turn away from him but he grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going?" he asked gruffly, "The song isn't over."

Bulma looked at him suspiciously. What was he trying to do? She shrugged and put her arms around Vegeta's neck, obliging him with a dance but she refused to look at him. They both remained silent.

Finally Vegeta spoke in a cold voice. "You've been avoiding me." Bulma snorted at his comment but didn't say anything. "Why?"

Bulma faced him, trying to read his expression but finding it impossible. She didn't know what to make of him. Was he actually bothered by her giving him the cold shoulder? She was almost flattered that he had gone through so much trouble to pursue her.

Vegeta took her continued silence as a sign that she was mad at him. "Listen woman, you have no right to be angry with me. What I do is no—"

"I'm not angry with you," Bulma said, cutting him off. She had just decided that was true. The song ended and a new one started. Bulma attempted to move away from him but he stopped her again.

"Then what is your problem?"

Bulma rolled her eyes as they started slow dancing again. "Jeez Vegeta, you have the sensitivity of rhinoceros. My _problem_, I guess, is that…" Bulma took in a deep breath, "well, my pride was wounded."

"Because of some slut?" Vegeta's frankness startled Bulma.

"I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate you calling her that but, yeah, that's part of it."

"Believe me, for someone like her it's a compliment." Vegeta sneered. He continued watching her even when Bulma looked away from him. She appeared to be thinking about something.

His distaste for the "slut" made Bulma feel a little better but she was still bothered. _That could have been me. _The thought had been plaguing her all day. "Why did you stop?" she said at last.

Vegeta looked like he was searching for words. "It wasn't right."

Bulma could see he was uncomfortable so she decided not to press him anymore. She understood that, if anything, his actions were considerate. "So, Vegeta has morals," she said in pretend surprise, "who would've thought?"

"Well if you feel my decision was a mistake, I could always correct it." Vegeta smirked gave Bulma his signature smirk.

"Oh please," Bulma laughed.

"You're right. I don't think you could handle it."

"Just stop talking, Vegeta." Bulma put her head on his shoulder as they continued to sway. She felt like she was starting to understand him a little but there was definitely more to discover.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: writers block, thy name is me…does that make sense? My apologies! I meant to have this out so much sooner but I wasn't quite sure where I to go and I kept putting it off. Anyway, here it is! This chapter was originally longer but I decided to separate it into two chapters. I should post the next one either tonight or tomorrow because I still have to work on it a bit. Thank you for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me!

Just a reminder, these are the subjects they teach:

Bulma- Science, Vegeta- History, Krillin- English, Eighteen- Math, Goku- Gym, and Chichi is the librarian. Also Roshi and Piccolo are the principle and vice principle respectively.

* * *

**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter Seven

One thing Bulma loved about being a teacher was having the weekends off. This weekend she decided to help her father with some of the company's projects. Mr. Briefs loved collaborating with his daughter. Her decision to give up working at Capsule Corp for a teaching career had hurt him initially but the fact that she still helped made him happy. Hopefully when he retired she'd be willing to take over the business.

"You know," Mr. Briefs said as he tightened a screw, "your mother thought it might be nice to throw the employees a party. What do you think?"

Bulma looked up from her work. "That's a great idea!"

The Briefs' decided to have a barbeque. Bulma thought it would be a good idea to invite her friends as well. She called Krillin first and told him to bring Eighteen with him. Next she called Chichi.

"Hey girl! We're having a cookout at Capsule Corp, mostly for the employees, but I wanted you and Goku to come too."

"I'd love to but Vegeta's here. I think him and Goku are working on football strategies or something for the game this week. It really is ridiculous how much time they devote to it. They've been at it all morning! I rented _The Wedding Singer _and I was planning on watching it with him when Vegeta just showed up unannounced! SO RUDE!" Bulma could hear the irritation in her friend's voice. She assumed Chichi was probably shouting that last bit so the men could hear her.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Why don't you just bring him along? I know you can be persuasive! Just tell them there'll be lots of food and free beer."

"I'll see what I can do." Chichi said determinately.

"Oh and bring a swimsuit!"

Soon Eighteen and Krillin arrived. As she welcomed them, Bulma was pleased to see Goku, Chichi, and Vegeta approaching her house.

"I'm so glad you guys came! Come on in! They just started grilling." Bulma gestured her friends inside. She led them to the indoor garden where the party had begun.

Eighteen was completely taken aback at the sight. The others didn't seem so surprised. She knew the briefs were rich but she was not expecting this. The room looked more like an indoor park than a garden, with stretches of green grass, a swimming pool, and animals prancing around. The sun shined down through the glass ceiling onto the many exotic plants.

By the pool, the women peeled off their clothes revealing swimsuits underneath. Bulma wore a pink string bikini and let out a squeal when she saw Chichi's white vintage looking one piece.

"Damn, Chi! You look like a brunette version of Marilyn Monroe!"

"Thanks, Bulma! I've always thought I looked pretty good IN WHITE. Don't you think so Goku?" She looked over at her man expectantly, as if trying to send him a message. Goku didn't seem to get it.

He smiled at her and said, "Of course!" Both he and Krillin were already wearing their swim trunks. Goku removed his shirt while Krillin eyeballed Eighteen in her strapless yellow bikini.

Bulma looked over at Vegeta, who was grabbing a beer out of the cooler. "Don't you have a swimsuit?"

"No," he grunted.

Bulma rolled her eyes and laid down on a lounger. Chichi joined her while the others (minus Vegeta) jumped into the pool. Vegeta sat on her other side with his beer. He found himself staring at her figure, immediately regretting it as he was certain she'd noticed. Since he'd already seen her naked body he assumed it would be old news by now but it may have actually made things worse. His thoughts drifted to the night outside the bar when the woman had basically thrown herself at him. Vegeta was beginning to lament not taking care of business when he had the chance. Maybe then he could get it out of his system. _Although_, he thought, _I'm sure it's not too late…NO! _He mentally backpedaled. No female had ever entered his thoughts in this way. Things were starting to get dangerous.

"Hey guys," Goku called, stepping out of the pool, "come join us! We want to play sharks and minnows."

Bulma lowered her sunglasses to look at him. "I haven't played that game since I was ten."

"You're right. You are way too old to play," teased Krillin.

"I didn't say I wouldn't!" Bulma said defensively. She looked over at Chichi who was shaking her head in refusal.

Goku knelt down next to Chichi's lounge chair. "Chichi" the gentility in his voice surprised her, causing her to turn and face him.

Seeing him down on his knee, she covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh Goku," she said, her voice muffled, "I never thought---AHH!" Chichi screamed as Goku lifted her lounger and dumped her into the pool.

When her head popped out of the water she was hit with a wave created by Goku cannonballing in after her. Chichi sputtered and coughed. "What is wrong with you?!" she flailed her arms, attempting to send splashes of water in his direction. "That's not funny! I could have drowned!"

Goku managed to avoid her blows and wrap his arms around her. "Oh come on Chichi, you know I'd never let anything happen to you."

Chichi sighed, lightly slapping his chest. She could never stay mad at him. "I know."

Bulma turned to Vegeta. "What about you? You in for a game?"

"You have the memory of a goldfish, woman. I told you I don't have a swimsuit."

"No need to be an ass. I think I have one for you." With her hand, Bulma signaled him to follow. "We'll be right back!" she said to her friends.

As they walked through the party, Vegeta found himself getting very annoyed at the way the employees ogled Bulma. Some would stop them to start talking to her about scientific advancements and projects, causing Vegeta to get very impatient.

"Can we hurry this along?" he grumbled.

Bulma shot him a look before returning to the person she was talking to. "Sorry about that, Hal. Anyway, it was good talking to you."

Again, when they got inside the house, they were stopped by Bulma's mother. She was handing robot waiters trays to take out to the guests when she spotted them. "Bulma, dear, did your friends try the hours devours? Do they taste goo—oh who's this?"

"Mom, this is Vegeta. Vegeta, this is my mother," she hurriedly introduced them and headed for the stairs.

Of course, Mrs. Briefs was too intrigued to let them go. "That's my girl! She sure knows how to pick 'em," she said grabbing Vegeta's arm. "Well, you certainly are in shape." Vegeta's face contorted into what appeared to be confusion with a touch of fear.

"It's not like that, mom! We're just fr…well, I wouldn't even say we're friends. We're coworkers." Bulma pulled Vegeta from her mother's clutches and led him to the stairs.

Mrs. Briefs called after them. "Make sure he gets enough to eat, honey!"

Following her up the stairs, Vegeta's eyes followed Bulma's backside as it swayed back and forth in front of his face.

"Vegeta, are you listening?" apparently the woman had been blabbering on about her mother. Vegeta had been too distracted to notice.

"What?"

"I said, sorry about my mom. She tends to come on a little strong." Bulma guided him to her room. "It's a bit messy," she warned.

Messy was an understatement. The room was chaotic with clothes, papers, and spare parts littering the floor.

"Disgusting," said Vegeta, revulsion in his tone.

Bulma started looking through drawers sloppily. "You could at least pretend to be nice."

"Why should I?" Vegeta mused, "It's like you said; we're not even friends."

"Oh I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?" Bulma paused from her search momentarily to mock him.

Vegeta snorted as he sat down. Something lumpy under Bulma's blankets made him jump. He lifted the covers up to investigate.

"Found it!" she cried, holding up the swim trunks. She turned to see Vegeta holding her teddy bear. "Hey, put that down!"

Vegeta examined the shabby brown bear. He wore a grey sweater vest with a black tie. He had a mustache and white, untidy hair sat on top of his head, going in all directions. He looked over at Bulma, amused. "What is this?"

"That's Albear Einstein! Give him to me!" she said, tearing the doll out of his hands and holding it protectively.

"You really are a child."

"I am not! My dad bought him for me when I was little and he's very special. He's a science bear. You barely find them in stores anymore! My mom threw away all my other dolls so he's actually kind of lonely, I think." Bulma was starting to drift off into her own thoughts.

"Which part of that was supposed to convince me you aren't a child?" scoffed Vegeta.

"Just shut up and take the swimsuit!" She threw the shorts at him. "You can change in my bathroom."

"Why do you have this anyway?" he asked as he moved to her bathroom.

"I was keeping it here for Yamcha."

Vegeta immediately dropped the bathing suit. "That's repulsive! I am not wearing these!"

"Relax, he never actually wore it. I bought it for him to have here just in case."

When Vegeta came out of her bathroom, Bulma had to hold her jaw so it wouldn't drop. She had seen him shirtless before in the locker room but then was too busy freaking out to realize how well put together he was. Vegeta smirked when he noticed her awe. Before he could say anything Bulma recovered and pushed him out of her room and back down to the party.

Back at the pool, the group had been waiting for them. Goku volunteered to be the shark and the game began. In order to make the game more difficult the gang decided that instead of tagging a minnow, the shark had to hold their waist and count to three before they were considered caught.

The first person Goku got was Vegeta. It was a strategic move since he knew Vegeta would be a strong partner. Vegeta didn't make much effort to get away from him. He was much more comfortable being the predator than the prey so he allowed himself to be caught in order to become a shark. In the following rounds, Vegeta found that Bulma was a very good swimmer. Even when he thought he had her, she somehow managed to slip from his grasp. Eighteen was also a difficult catch. The two women were the only minnows left in the last round.

Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, and Chichi faced the opposite wall of the pool from Eighteen and Bulma. To start the beginning of the last round Goku called,"Sharks and Minnows one, two, three. Fishies, fishies swim to me!"

Bulma dived under the water, making her way to the other side. Chichi bolted right at her but she quickly dodged only to find Goku on her other side. Luckily, Eighteen swam by at that very moment with Krillin hot on her tail, effectively distracting Goku. Bulma laughed to herself as she moved closer to base. Victory was assured. Suddenly arms grabbed her waist. Before she could see who they belonged to, she was hoisted out of the water. Bulma squirmed trying to free herself but the grip was too tight.

A raspy voice shouted, "One…two…three!" Bulma looked to see that Eighteen had made it to the wall and that it was Vegeta who was raising her up and down like a trophy he had just won.

"Alright, Vegeta, you can put me down!"

"Only if you admit that you have been bested, woman."

"What? No way! You guys tricked me!" Bulma protested.

"Then, I suppose you'll have to get comfortable up there."

Bulma looked down at him, wondering how long he could hold her up like this. He stared back up at her smirking. His muscular arms told her that he could indeed keep her up this for as long as he wanted. The blue haired woman refused to admit defeat, though. She tried her best to give Vegeta an expression that would make him feel guilty.

The others watched this, amused. Chichi was the first to comment. "They could be like this forever! They're both way too stubborn."

Vegeta's smirk disappeared as he noticed her countenance. The sun light seemed to fall perfectly on her beautiful blue hair which framed her face, making her look like an angel. The sight was breathtaking. He tore his eyes away. _This woman must be some sort of sorceress. _

His gaze had given Bulma a warm sensation she had not expected. She found herself feeling sad when he looked away and suddenly their little battle seemed unimportant. "You won, Vegeta. You were better than me."

Vegeta didn't look back at her. He just dropped her in the water and immediately exited the pool. It was a hollow victory.

Soon Bulma's mother called the group over for food. After a long meal paired with lots of conversation, that passed without much incident, the party winded down as the sun set.

The week started like every other, with an annoying morning meeting. Not really listening to Vice Principle Piccolo, Bulma found her attention occasionally drifting over to a certain spiky haired history teacher. He, in turn, would often glance over in her direction, only to look away when he thought she'd noticed.

Bulma and Vegeta looked for any excuse to bug each other, causing them to fight twice as much as usual. Other teachers were starting to take notice.

"THIS IS A LIBRARY!" Chichi shouted at them after Vegeta had followed Bulma in to argue with her over something trivial. "If you're going to yell at each other, do it somewhere else!"

When they exited, Vegeta opened his mouth to start again but Bulma silenced him with her finger. "I have a class to get to," she said with a higher air and turned to leave. Vegeta glared after her, mentally giving her another tally on his imaginary score sheet.

When she wasn't fighting with Vegeta or teaching, Bulma enjoyed keeping an eye on her students Jordan and Clara. She reveled in how well their relationship was progressing, fascinated by this joining of brain and brawn. _And it's all thanks to me_, she giggled to herself.

"Excuse me Mrs. Briefs," a voice pulled Bulma out of her reverie. Principle Roshi was standing at her doorway. "Can I speak with you?"

Bulma eyed the old man suspiciously but complied. "I'll be right back," she said to her class who was taking a test. "No cheating!"

She met Roshi at the door making sure to shut it behind her. "Listen old man, I'm not going to let you touch my boob again so…" Bulma stopped abruptly, turning red when she saw Vegeta leaning against the wall next to Roshi. His initial reaction was shock but that quickly turned to disgust. "What's going on?" she asked trying to divert attention from her last comment.

"Yes, I'd like to know that as well," said Vegeta uncrossing his arms.

"Is something wrong?" Bulma was starting to get concerned.

"Yes! Something IS wrong. I can't get a moments peace around here because teachers are constantly stopping by my office to complain!" Roshi answered.

"About what?"

"About you two! Every five minutes I get someone knocking on my door harping on about how your yelling in the hallways is disrupting class."

Vegeta snorted, "Well, if the woman would—"

"I don't want to hear it!" Roshi interrupted, "If you can't figure out how to get along by yourselves then I want you to go see the counselor. I have more important things to deal with than your problems." The old man's eyes drifted off dreamily as he thought about the special video tapes he had waiting for him in his office.

"What? That's ridiculous! He's there for the students, not the teachers," said Bulma

"For once, I agree," Vegeta added.

"Just do what you're told!" Roshi twisted his mustache in his fingers and his cheeks reddened. "That is, unless you'd like to make another deal, Bulma."

Bulma considered the consequences of beating her boss senseless but said, "We'll go to the damn counselor."

The principle mumbled to himself as he turned to leave, "Oh well that's what the videos are for…" Vegeta eyed Bulma but didn't ask.

"So we'll go during seventh period?" Since that was when they both had a free period, Bulma assumed it would be the best time.

"Whatever."

At lunch time Bulma made her way to the cafeteria for lunch room duty. She contemplated harassing Vegeta into doing it for her (seeing as Bulma had covered for him once she felt he owed her) but reconsidered, knowing that it would inevitably lead to an argument that would upset surrounding teachers. _Those cowards_**, **Bulma thought, _they should have just told me to my face instead of tattling on me. _

Bulma bought herself a sandwich and ate it while she walked around the room. She didn't attempt to talk to the other teacher on duty, suspecting him to be one of the tattletales. Chichi joined her shortly.

"What's up Chi? You look kinda down."

"It's nothing," Chichi said at first but she could tell Bulma was unconvinced. "I've just had some things on my mind, I guess"

Bulma pressed her friend a little more until she finally exploded. "It's Goku!" she wailed, "We've been together for so long and we're barely ever apart! We practically live together. I love him more than anything! You see how happy we are, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Bulma said confused, "so what's the problem?"

"He won't marry me!" tears were falling down her face. Bulma led her to an empty corner of the room to avoid students noticing.

"What? You asked him and he said no?"

Chichi looked at Bulma like she was crazy. "No, of course I didn't ask him. I'm a traditional girl Bulma!"

"Then, how do you know he won't marry you?"

"After all the years we've been together you'd think it was about time, wouldn't you? But he acts like he's not even interested in marriage! Lately, I've been dropping hints like crazy and he's just been ignoring them!"

"Chichi, this IS Goku we're talking about. I mean, you know better than anyone that he's about as bright as Alaska in December. If you want something from him, you're going to have to give him more than a few subtle clues."

Chichi wiped her tears. "I guess you're right."

"So you're going to talk to him about it?"

"Are you kidding? No! I'm not going to_ tell_ him to propose to me. He has to want to propose to me! I'll just have to be more obvious about what I want." With new determination, Chichi stomped out of the cafeteria.

Bulma let out a sigh. _God speed, Cheech. _

After sixth period, Bulma made her way to the counselor's office. She felt very much like a student in trouble. Over the years, Bulma had sent many students to the counselor but had barely spoken to him herself. The most she knew about him was that he was an old friend of Roshi's.

Vegeta wasn't there yet so she waited outside the door. Inside, she could hear the voice of a student. She was starting to get inpatient. _If Vegeta doesn't show, I'm going to KILL him. _

"It's about time," Bulma said when Vegeta finally appeared.

"I wouldn't even have to be here if it wasn't for you."

"Me? You know, it takes two to tango, buddy!"

"But only one to drive me crazy," retorted Vegeta

Bulma moved closer to him and poked his chest with her index finger. "You love it," she sneered, "I'm the only person that'll put up with you besides Goku and he just brushes off your snide remarks. Admit it, you enjoy provoking me!"

"I will not! _You_ are the one who follows _me_ around!" Vegeta knew that wasn't always the case but he wasn't about to admit it.

"Well, you—" Bulma started to retaliate but the office door opened. A student stood there looking at the teachers with a raised eyebrow, before shaking his head and leaving.

"Ah yes, I was told to expect you," a calm voice said, "Please, come in."

Bulma and Vegeta obeyed, taking the two seats in front of the counselor's desk. Across from them in a black leather chair sat a large brown turtle. Turtle stared at the pair in front of him. They refused to look at each other.

Vegeta, who had been tapping his foot vigorously finally exploded, "Are you just going to gape at us like an idiot or are we going to do something?"

"Oh that's nice, Vegeta! Are you capable of saying anything without being completely rude?" scoffed Bulma.

Turtle watched quietly as the pair started throwing insults back and forth. With each argument they inched closer to each other. Turtle was starting to get the picture. When he felt he'd seen enough he coughed quietly in an attempt to gain their attention. They ignored him, too focused on each other.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat a little louder, still to no avail. "AHEM"

"WHAT?" Bulma turned on Turtle fiercely, "You need a cough drop or something?" Turtle cocked his head to the side but didn't say anything. "Why do you keep staring like that?! See something interesting?!" Turtle nodded.

"Please, enlighten us. We're dying to know," Vegeta said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"I see two people who are afraid," he answered simply in his slow, languid voice. Bulma and Vegeta looked at each other then back at Turtle like he was the craziest person they'd ever seen.

"Afraid of what?" Vegeta snorted, "This little woman?"

Bulma glared at him. "You hear that?" she said to Turtle. "He makes me so angry sometimes!"

"But…" Turtle supplied, knowing that there was more to her feelings. Her heart knew but her head was refusing to acknowledge it.

"But what? I'm mad!"

"You're not mad, you're scared. Think about it. What would happen if you didn't fight; if you didn't put up a front?"

Bulma furrowed her brow. What was he insinuating? Vegeta looked over at her and, seeing that she was lost in thought, gruffly said, "You're not buying this garbage are you?"

"It really is an odd tendency," Turtle chuckled to himself. He was thinking out loud. "You pursue each other out of what seems to be an instinct but once you get close, you push each other away… very interesting. Reminds me of that saying…how does it go?" Turtle mused, "The course…well now I'm drawing a blank—something about never running smooth. Ah yes the course of true lo—"

"I've had enough!" Vegeta stood and moved to the door. "I'm ending this charade."

Bulma's eyes met Turtle's. He had definitely struck a chord. As she stood to follow Vegeta, the counselor gave her a sympathetic smile. They walked back in silence. Vegeta could feel Bulma's eyes on him.

Vegeta stopped so abruptly that Bulma almost ran into him. He turned, grabbed her shoulders, and started to shake her.

"Vegeta, what are you doing?"

"Snap out of it, woman. It would be unwise to let that crackpot put ideas into your head."

"No one's putting ideas in my head," Bulma snapped back defensively. Vegeta looked into her eyes suspiciously, as if searching for something. Bulma felt her face getting hot. She could have sworn that she saw his hardened expression falter for a second but he regained his usual countenance so quickly that Bulma began to doubt whether it had ever changed. When he was satisfied he let Bulma go and started walking away from her.

"It's just that..." Bulma's words made Vegeta halt.

He turned on her again. "Listen, woman, I don't like you and you don't like me. That is just the way it is."

"I don't know anymore. I used to feel that way but now I think…" Bulma scrunched up her nose as if she was still unsure about the words that would follow.

"Don't say it," Vegeta warned

"I think I like you, Vegeta." Bulma was starting to feel insulted as Vegeta filled his features with disgust. "Jeez, it's not like I'm proposing to you! What's your deal? Can't you admit that somehow over the weeks we've become friends?"

Vegeta merely replied, "No" and started walking back to his classroom.

Bulma called out after him. "Fine! Be in denial. I know you like that whole lone wolf thing but we're friends, buddy, whether you like it or not!"

As she watched him disappear around the corner, Bulma's mind drifted back to Turtle's words. Maybe it was more than "like" she was feeling. Whatever it was Turtle had definitely been right, she was too scared to acknowledge it so she kept on doing what she had been, pushed the thoughts aside and continued on her way.


	8. Chapter 8

**A Lot to Learn** Chapter 8

Bulma was awakened by a loud crack of thunder and the sound of pouring rain. Unable to go back to sleep, she decided to leave home early. As she drove to work the rainfall seemed to double, leading her to wonder if there would even be school today. She drove by the track and saw Vegeta running around it as if he was unfazed by the downpour. _Crazy ass…_Bulma thought, shaking her head.

The school was practically empty at this hour. Walking by the library, Bulma saw that Chichi hadn't even opened it yet. She found Chichi in the gym, pedaling vigorously on a stationary bike while Goku lifted weights. She walked over to her.

"Slow down, Armstrong, those peddles look like they're about to fall off," joked Bulma.

Chichi didn't slow down. "I'm just working off some frustration."

Bulma looked over at Goku, who smiled at her as he pumped a very large weight. "I take it he still hasn't gotten the hint?"

"Watch this," Chichi panted. "SO Bulma, don't you have a birthday coming up?" she raised her voice and spoke very deliberately. "I'm going to have to start looking for a present. Hey Goku, what if we go halfsies on some jewelry for her? Maybe a ring? With diamonds? I know I'd like a DIAMOND RING."

"Sure, I'd do that but she's right here so it won't be a surprise anymore. Maybe we should get her something else," Goku answered.

Chichi let out an aggravated groan and pedaled harder. She was down but not out.

At lunch time, while everyone else was eating, Chichi sat at the table with a stack of wedding magazines. She held one up so Goku could see the cover.

Bulma was flipping through the channels on the teacher's lounge TV. "It looks like there's a hurricane headed our way. School might have to let out early." Her comment fell on deaf ears.

"Goku," Chichi said showing him a page displaying a lavishly decorated wedding parlor, "wouldn't this be a beautiful place to get _married_?"

Goku glanced over his mash potatoes and nodded. Chichi inhaled sharply, flipping through the magazine forcefully. Bulma slapped her hand on her forehead. This was getting hard to watch.

Chichi found a picture of a model in a huge, elegant wedding gown. "Oooh, wouldn't I look pretty in this?"

"Definitely," Goku said with a smile, "but prom isn't til next semester. Isn't it a bit early to be looking for a dress?"

Chichi threw the magazine down in frustration. She grabbed Goku's empty plates, threw them into the sink, and began washing them with a fierce expression on her face.

Goku scratched his head and leaned over to Bulma. "Is something wrong with Chichi?" he asked under his breath.

"Oh come on, Goku," Bulma whispered back, "think _very _hard." Bulma picked up the issue of _Bridal Magazine _and waved it in front of his face. Furrowing his brow, Goku looked at it. He looked over at Chichi then back at the magazine.

Goku bolted up from his seat as if something just clicked in his mind. "OH!" He moved over to the woman scrubbing dishes. "Chichi," he chuckled. She ignored him "If you wanted to get married, why didn't you just say so?"

Chichi stiffened, dropping the plate she was holding. She turned to face him, her eyes wide with shock.

"You know you're the only one I want to be with. I just wasn't thinking about it, I guess." Goku shrugged his shoulders. Chichi continued to stare at him, completely in awe. In confusion he looked over at Bulma, just to be sure he'd drawn the right conclusion. She egged him on, pointing to the floor and mouthing the word "knee."

Goku understood. Getting down on one knee, he grabbed her hand. "Chichi, will you marry me?" With her other hand, Chichi covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears.

Goku looked at Bulma again. "Oh no, did I do it wrong?"

Suddenly Chichi squeaked and wrapped her arms around Goku's neck. "YES! YES! YES! Oh Goku, I thought you'd never ask!" Tears of joy were streaming down her face.

When she was done showering her new fiancé with kisses, Chichi ran over and hugged Bulma tightly. The friends jumped up and down with joy. "See Chi, I told you it would happen!"

Right then, Vegeta walked in. He took one look at the squealing women and turn to leave.

"Where're you going, Vegeta?" Bulma shouted after him. "There's someone you should congratulate."

When he faced them again Bulma was surprised to see how terrible he looked. His eyes were heavy and his face pale. When he spoke it was as if he couldn't breathe through his nose. "What are you talking about?"

"Goku and I are getting married!" the news exploded out of Chichi in such a high pitch that Vegeta was glad his ears weren't hearing well today.

"So what?"

Bulma wasn't shocked by his response but by his appearance. She moved over to him. "Vegeta, are you okay?"

She reached for his forehead to feel his temperature but he moved away. "I'm fine, woman. Leave me alone."

"Really?" Bulma said with a twinge of annoyance, "Because you don't look fine."

"She's right Vegeta," interjected Goku, "You look like hell."

Vegeta glared at Goku and became distracted enough so that Bulma could get to him. His forehead felt hot. "You've got a fever! It's probably from running around in the cold rain this morning. I think you should go home."

"I didn't realize you were a thermometer."

"This isn't funny, Vegeta! If you're contagious you could get other students sick."

Vegeta pushed her away and went to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup. "Lay off, woman. I'm not sick!" He sat down a little too heavily in a lounge chair.

Bulma shook her head. He was clearly in denial. "Goku, do something!"

Goku shrugged. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Bulma. No student'll get close enough to him to catch anything. They're too scared."

"Well I'm not leaving anything up to chance." Bulma turned on her heel and marched out of the room. Vegeta scowled after her. He knew where she was going but he was too tired to do anything about it.

The bell rang to end lunch as Bulma headed to the office to seek out Principle Roshi. When she got to his door she knocked loudly. She heard a startled yelp, "Come in!"

"Roshi! Vegeta is sick and he's being an idiot about it! You need to make him go home!" Bulma sounded more like a tattling child than she intended.

"No need to worry. We're all going home! I just got a call from Superintendent Kami and we're closing early before the hurricane hits."

Upon hearing the news Bulma immediately sought out Vegeta. She caught him blearily walking into his classroom.

"Just thought I'd tell you that you'll be going home after all," Bulma said smugly, following him into the room. Students were taking their seats.

Vegeta walked to his desk. "Oh really?"

"Yup! They're going to end school early. Roshi should be making the announcement soon." Bulma immediately regretted saying it so loud as the statement caused the classroom to explode into cheers.

Vegeta gave her an I-hope-your-happy look before trying to settle the class down. "Alright that's enough!" He was having trouble raising his voice and soon broke into a fit of coughs. Bulma winced at how violent the coughs were. When he stopped Bulma saw him stagger backwards, as if about to lose balance so she moved his chair under him so he could collapse onto it.

"It's worse than I thought," she said unconsciously reaching out to him. He waved her hand aside. Bulma sighed. "I'll take you home myself. I wouldn't want you passing out behind the wheel."

"Why not?" Vegeta replied.

"Because, we're friends remember?" said Bulma coolly.

As she left his room to get to hers, Roshi's voice rang out over the intercom. She reached her class just as the announcement ended, in time to hear their enthusiastic response. Bulma grabbed her things and dismissed them before rushing out of the room. She knew Vegeta would try to sneak off to avoid her help.

In the parking lot, Bulma caught him doing just that. _Idiot! He doesn't even have an umbrella. _She rushed over to him, opening her own umbrella over his head.

The cessation of rainfall on his head, made him pause. He rolled his eyes when he saw Bulma next to him. "How can I be rid of you?"

Bulma stuck out her thumb and index finger to make her hand into a pretend gun and snatched his keys. "Just do what I say and no one gets hurt."

When they got to Vegeta's car, Bulma looked for the button to encapsulate it so they could take her car, only to find that there wasn't one. "What gives Vegeta? Why don't you have a capsule car?"

"Because I'm not a rich heiress who teaches just for the fun of it and I prefer to use the money from my meager paycheck only on the necessities."

"Whatever, just get in." Bulma said, unlocking the door. Vegeta scowled at her. She could tell he didn't trust her to drive. "Don't worry, I'm an excellent driver. Besides, if I crash it I'll just hook you up with a capsule car. If you're nice, I may give you one anyway."

Vegeta seemed convinced and got into the passenger seat. Not knowing where he lived, Bulma had to rely on him to give her directions. Unfortunately, he was struggling to stay awake.

Bulma shook her head. "And you tried to tell me you weren't sick…what am I, stupid?"

"I'm not sick!" Vegeta protested, "I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well last night."

Vegeta lived in a high rise apartment complex. Looking around his place, Bulma saw he wasn't kidding about only buying the necessities. His walls were bare and there was a general lack of decorum, only a few pieces of furniture with a small television.

"Alright, I'm home," Vegeta said lackadaisically, "You can go now."

Bulma ignored him, continuing her tour of his quarters. "Is this your bedroom?" She didn't wait for an answer before walking in to find out for herself. It was a medium sized room with a queen bed and a large window with a wonderful view of the city.

"Wow, everything is so tidy," she noted. When Vegeta walked into the room she grabbed his arm and led him to his bed. "I want you to go to sleep and stay home until you're all better, understood?"

"That's ridiculous. I have too much to do. There's a game on Friday."

Bulma forced him to sit on the mattress. He had actually been weakened enough to succumb. "I'm sure the team will be fine without you. You've been training them like crazy! Besides, Goku can take care of it."

The look on Vegeta's face told her that wasn't the right thing to say. Anger was rising in his voice. "I never miss work. There's a reason why my students are ahead of the curb." Vegeta broke off into coughs again.

"Look at you! You're a mess! There's no way you can work tomorrow. If your students are as far ahead as you say then a few days without you won't hurt them. They'll probably be relieved." Bulma mumbled the last bit under her breath but she was sure he heard. A thought occurred to her suddenly. "Vegeta, I may be able to help you get better before the game but you'll have to do what I say, promise?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes in suspicion. What was the woman planning? He wasn't sure he could trust her but at the same time he couldn't deny it anymore; he was definitely sick. If she had something that would speed up his recovery, it may be worth it. "What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see," Bulma said surreptitiously, "Now I want you to change into your pajamas and get in bed. I have to pick up some things up from my house."

When she left, Vegeta did what he was told, putting on pajamas (that he barely ever wore due to his habit of sleeping in the nude) and lying in his bed. The second his head touched the pillow he was out. Almost an hour later, which felt like a minute to Vegeta, he was awakened by a soft hand on his forehead. Bulma was staring down on him, looking worried.

"Hey," she said with a sympathetic smile, "you seem to be getting worse. Can you sit up?" Her voice was soft and sweet. Vegeta had never seen her this way before. It made him uncomfortable.

As he sat up Bulma rummaged through a bag, pulling out a stethoscope. "I'm going to listen to your breathing. Do you mind if I…" she pointed to his pajama shirt buttons. A quick nod from Vegeta told her she had permission. Slowly, Bulma unbuttoned his shirt, surprised when he shivered under her touch. "Sorry! Are my hands cold?"

Vegeta looked away. "Yeah, that's it," he said, trying more to convince himself than her.

She listened intently to his breathing, hearing a rattling sound. Gently she tapped his chest. "It's as I thought," Bulma said, shaking her head, "You have pneumonia."

Vegeta frowned. "That takes a long time to recover from, doesn't it? You said you could have me well before the game."

"I wasn't lying! Every now and then my father and I dabble in medicine and we've been developing something. It's an injection that boosts the patient's white blood cell count and accelerates their activity, effectively speeding up recovery."

"Alright then, give it to me."

"There's just one problem," said Bulma, a little nervous. "We've only tested it on lab rats so you would be the first human to undergo the treatment. If it's any consolation, though, it worked really well on the rats."

Vegeta crossed his arms, a thought suddenly dawning on him. "You want me to be your test subject."

"No! It's not like that at all! In fact, I'd rather you get better the normal way but you refuse to rest. I just want to help you! I wouldn't even suggest it if I wasn't confident in my work."

"Fine, do it."

Bulma moved away and prepared the shot. "Okay, here it comes. I always hate this part." Vegeta didn't even flinch when she stuck him with the needle. "Wow! What a big strong boy you are!" she joked, "I should get you a lollipop!" Vegeta wasn't amused.

Silence passed between them as Bulma desposed of the needle and moved to the window. The rain and wind were really picking up. She made a few remarks about the weather to Vegeta but he still didn't say anything. "Are you hungry?" she asked. Vegeta shrugged. "I told my mom you were sick and she made you some soup. I'll warm it up for you."

When Bulma brought the soup out to him, she watched intently as he ate it. "How is it? Pretty good huh?"

"It's edible," he said.

"Oh come on! You know it's delicious. You just don't want to be nice."

It was true. Mrs. Briefs' chicken noodle soup was the best Vegeta had ever had but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to tell Bulma that or even to thank her for what she was doing for him. The woman was getting too close. What bothered him more was that he liked her closeness. He had to get his defenses up. "Why are you still here?"

Bulma was bewildered by his question and the attitude that accompanied it. She thought things were going well. Why did he seem so mad when she was doing him a favor? "I have to be. Since the vaccine is relatively untested, I need to keep an eye on you."

Vegeta shoved the bowl of soup into her hands. "I don't want it."

"Okay," Bulma said, her irritation building, "I'll put it away. You can eat it later if you like."

"Throw it out," He watched her closely, as he trying to get a rise out of her. He saw her eye twitch.

"Fine." Bulma's voice was starting to sound strained. She left the room and came back sans the bowl. Without a word, she started hooking Vegeta up to machinery.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to monitor your vitals. I'll give you something to help bring down your fever too."

"Won't you get sick if you're constantly pawing at me?"

Bulma tried to ignore his rude tone. She lifted up her sleeve to show him a band-aid on her arm. "I took a preventive vaccine before I came over. I should be fine. It's sweet of you to worry though."

"I wasn't worried," snorted Vegeta, "I'm just trying to make you leave." He watched her jaw clench. She looked like she had just about reached her limit.

"I'm only trying to help," Bulma said through gritted teeth.

"I don't need your help."

"YES you do! That's my prototype running through your veins right now. Do you realize that if anything goes wrong, I'm the only person who can help you?"

Vegeta gave her a hoarse laugh which was really an effort to cover a cough but also served to anger the blue haired woman in front of him. Bulma felt like all the blood was rushing to her head, blinding her with rage.

"You know what? Screw you, Vegeta! You want me to leave? I'm gone!" She could feel hot tears forming. Her need to help him had been genuine. She was actually worried about him and he was making her feel ashamed about it. "I don't give a damn what happens to you! You can go die for all I care!" With that she stomped out of his apartment.

Vegeta stared blankly in the direction she had just exited. He had gotten what he wanted; the woman was gone. So why did he feel so terrible? He disconnected himself from the machinery and laid back.

Bulma was in the hallway, leaning against a wall with her head in her hands. Tears fell freely from her eyes. She was regretting her words. What if something really did go wrong? _Is that why I'm crying so hard? Why does Vegeta have this effect on me? _she thought rubbing her eyes in an effort to stop weeping. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks falling from the ceiling. _Oh my god I love him. _

Pushing herself off the wall, Bulma began to pace back and forth. _No! How can that be? Love is too strong a word. I can't just suddenly be in love with someone. But I'm definitely feeling something and I have to figure out what that is. _

She remembered Turtle's words: "You pursue each other out of what seems to be an instinct but once you get close, you push each other away…

_Is he pushing me away? _Bulma decided she had to find out. She wasn't ready to confront him about it but she could at least pursue the matter to see where it would lead.

Vegeta sat up straight when he heard his front door open and close again. _She can't be back_, he thought. He sat up as Bulma marched back into the room. She immediately started reconnecting the machine, roughly clamping things around a few of Vegeta's fingers and sticking electrode pads onto his chest. When she finished she grabbed a chair from the living room, bringing it back into the bedroom, and sat in it, arms and legs crossed; all this without giving her spiky haired patient as much as a glance.

Gaping at her, completely bewildered, Vegeta opened his mouth to speak but Bulma cut him off.  
"I have a responsibility, not to you but to science, so I'm going to stay here and there's nothing your sick ass can do about it."

A moment later she got up again to get him a glass of water from the kitchen. She shoved it into his hand with a pill.

"What is this?" Vegeta asked.

"It's aspirin. Take it and go to sleep." Now that Bulma was closer to him he could see redness in her eyes. Had he made her cry? The realization made his stomach turn.

Vegeta downed the pill and laid down, giving Bulma back the glass. As she moved to take it to the sink he said, "The soup was good."

Bulma paused at the door. When she looked back at him his eyes were closed and he seemed to be drifting off to sleep. _I'll take that as an apology_, she thought, smiling to herself.

The next time Vegeta woke, he looked around his room to find that it seemed to be empty. Where had the woman gone? As he turned to his right to look out his window, he noticed that it was dark outside but the storm seemed to be quieting down. Suddenly he noticed the sound of soft breathing coming from his left. He peered over the side of his bed to see locks of blue hair. The woman was leaning on the wall beside his bed hugging her knees and snoring quietly. Vegeta nudged Bulma with his index finger.

His touch startled Bulma, who immediately leapt up to check the monitor. She was terrified that something had gone wrong. "What?! What's going on?" When she saw his vital signs were normal, Bulma turned to Vegeta. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Vegeta couldn't help himself. The sight of Bulma in frenzy over him caused a small smile to escape onto his features. She was too busy inspecting him to notice. "You snore," he said, waving her away.

"I do?" Bulma flushed. "No way, it must have been by head position," she reasoned, rubbing her neck.

"Are you really planning on staying here through the night?"

Bulma braced herself for another argument. "Yes, I am and if you still have a problem with it then—"

"I suppose there's room on this bed for two," he said matter-of-factly, scooting over to free up space.

Bulma was flabbergasted. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Just stay on your side," warned Vegeta. "If you try anything, I won't hesitate to push you off."

"Me?!" Bulma started to argue but decided she should take advantage of this rare showing of benevolence from Vegeta. "I'll try to keep my hands to myself," she jibed dryly. "Do you mind if I change in your bathroom?"

When she reemerged from the bathroom, Bulma was wearing a white tank top with girl's boxer shorts. As she walked over to the bed she stretched her arms up, yawning and revealing her midriff. The simple gesture drove Vegeta crazy (in a good way)! Getting a glimpse of cleavage when Bulma climbed onto the bed, he closed his eyes tightly in an effort to stop staring. He was starting to regret offering her his bed.

"Vegeta could you…oh you're asleep," she whispered. Bulma was going to ask him to get the light which was on his side but, not wanting to wake him, she leaned over his chest to turn off the lamp herself. As she did, her scent penetrated Vegeta's congested nose, clearing the airways. It was intoxicating. When she moved back her breasts brushed against him making Vegeta want to roll her over and claim her as his own. His condition was the only thing keeping him from actually doing it but that didn't stop his thoughts. The way his head was reeling suggested to Vegeta that he would not be getting much sleep.

Once they were both settled, though, Vegeta found that slumber claimed him quicker than he thought it would. Not realizing how tired she was, Bulma also fell asleep quickly. She slept soundly until she was awakened a few hours later by Vegeta fidgeting. He was covered in sweat but was still shivering. Bulma touched him and observed that his temperature had spiked again. Bulma speedily searched for a towel. She also filled a large bowl with cold water.

A sudden icy sensation on his forehead roused Vegeta. Blearily, he opened his eyes and saw a radiant blue haired angel sitting over him. The moonlight landed perfectly on her skin giving it the appearance of the most elegant porcelain.

Bulma was relieved when he stabilized. She couldn't see his eyes, since they were covered in shadows, but she couldn't help feeling like Vegeta was watching her. Taking the towel off his forehead, she wet it once more and put it back. Bulma's hand lingered on his cheek for a moment. To her surprise he reached up and clasped her hand in his. He gave it a tender squeeze before letting go, as sleep overtook him once more.

The act made Bulma feel like her heart was about to fly out of her chest. _Calm down_, she told herself, _he's clearly delusional right now. _Still she couldn't help settling back into bed with a smile on her face.

She slept until the light from the sunrise woke her. Not wanting to wake Vegeta, Bulma crept out of bed slowly. As she looked through the window at the city, she was glad to see the storm had completely cleared.

Vegeta stirred in his bed behind her. When she turned, Bulma saw him propped up on his side, staring at her. Bulma could feel herself blushing. She covered her face with her hands quickly. "Don't look at me," she said lightly, "I must look dreadful!"

Vegeta let out a snort, rolling back over onto his back with his arms folded behind his head. "That's an understatement." Of course she could never know how in awe of her beauty he was.

Bulma didn't take the comment too seriously. "I knew I should have smothered you in your sleep," she quipped feigning disappointment. Moving to his bedside she asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

He grunted in what Bulma believed was an affirmative before she continued; "I think you're good to be on your own now. If some negative side effect was going to happen it would have most likely occurred in the first twelve hours. If the medicine is effective then you should be all better tomorrow. I'm going to go to work but I want you to rest. And there's no point in arguing with me about it because I already called the school while you were sleeping yesterday and told them you'd be out today."

"What a clever little witch you are," Vegeta said in a tone that was surprisingly devoid of insult.

Bulma laughed, "You're weird Vegeta. Seriously, who talks like that?"

She left the room to rummage through his kitchen. When she came back she had a glass of orange juice in her hand. "You really should go shopping. There's barely anything in your fridge." Bulma gave him the juice. "Listen, it may be a good idea to call a parent or someone to take care of you while you rest. I mean you're definitely over the worst but it might be nice to have someone here so you're not alone."

"I'm fine," Vegeta replied after gulping down the juice.

"Oh that's right, Vegeta, the island, doesn't need anyone," teased Bulma. "I'm telling you, though, nothing heals like a mother's love."

"My parents are dead," he said without emotion.

"Oh my god, I didn't know. I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. It was a long time ago."

Not really knowing what else to say Bulma got up to ready herself to leave. As she got dressed in Vegeta's bathroom she pondered his situation. Things were starting to make sense. His life as an orphan had made him accustomed to not needing anyone. The only other person she ever saw around him regularly was Goku and she wondered if that was because they had suffered similar fates. Goku had also lost his parents but luckily he'd had his grandfather around to take care of him. It was interesting to note how different they turned out.

When she reentered, Vegeta was sitting up flipping through his playbook. Bulma sat beside him, giving him a quick examination before she left. She was surprised at how cooperative he was being.

"Alright, I'm leaving but don't get too excited because I'll be back after work." She showed him something that looked like a pager. "I'll be able to keep track of your vitals with this. It'll alert me if anything goes wrong. I doubt it but better safe than sorry!"

By the time Bulma got to the school she was running late. She managed to slip into her room just as the bell rang.

"Close call Ms. B," joked a student.

Throughout the day, Bulma found herself tremendously distracted. Every few minutes or so, she would check the pager for any irregularities. Luckily, everything seemed to be okay.

During a class change, Goku stopped by her room to inquire about Vegeta. "So you actually managed to make him stay home, huh?"

"Only because he was too sick to argue with me," Bulma responded.

Goku laughed. "You should give yourself more credit. I don't think anyone else could do it. He must think a lot of you."

"You think so?" Bulma was embarrassed because she sounded a little too excited. She tried to backpedal, "Yeah right! The only person he thinks highly of is himself."

Goku left Bulma to her class as the bell rang. As she began her lecture, a ringing sound made Bulma jump for her pager, her heart beating faster than she thought possible. When she looked at it though, everything was normal. The ring had actually come from a student's phone. He struggled to find it in his bag while his classmates tried coughing over the sound, in an effort to keep their friend out of trouble.

"CODY," Bulma screeched, a little louder than she intended, "turn off your phone and bring it to my desk. One of your parents can pick it up from the office at the end of the day." She took a moment to calm herself and started the lecture once more.

During her free period, Bulma tried to grade papers but found herself mindlessly staring at the pager. _That's enough, _she told herself, _I need to focus. Obviously, Vegeta is doing fine. _She took a deep breath and found it a little easier to concentrate.

A little bit later, she heard footsteps by her door, making her look up. Yamcha was peeking into her room.

"Hey," he said cautiously.

"Hi," she returned, giving him a bit of a confused look. What did he want?

Yamcha was surprised that her response was civil and seemed to be lacking in hostility. It gave him a little more courage to step closer. Bulma had returned her attention to her papers.

"How have you been?"

Bulma glanced up at him only for a second. "Fine, you?"

"I'm doing good." A silence passed between them. Yamcha nervously twiddled his thumbs. "Bulma, I wanted to…" he paused when Bulma looked up at him with genuine interest. "Aren't you mad at me?" he asked in confusion.

Bulma thought for a moment. She hadn't even considered being angry. In fact, when she saw Yamcha she felt nothing at all. "I guess not," she shrugged.

Yamcha exhaled, "That's a relief."

"Did you need something?"

"I guess I just wanted to see you but you seem pretty busy so maybe I'll catch you later." He waved and left the room.

The next time she saw Yamcha was at the end of the school day. He was waiting by the exit. "Hi again," he said as she approached.

"What's up?"

"Can we talk?"

Bulma agreed more out of curiosity than anything else. They moved off to a corner to avoid being in the way.

"I wanted to apologize to you," he said reaching out to squeeze Bulma's arm gently. "I know I hurt you and it's been eating me up inside. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Admittedly, it was hard at first but I'm over it now."

"I guess I was wondering if…well, I know I broke your trust but I want to try to earn it back and maybe—" Yamcha was cut off by a beeping noise.

Bulma pulled out her pager. The tiny screen showed that Vegeta's vital signs had suddenly flatlined. Terror overtook her. "Oh my god, I have to go."

Without waiting for a response, she left Yamcha behind, running outside. She opened her car capsule, jumped in, and sped to Vegeta's apartment. As she drove, her head reeled. Images of Vegeta dead swam through her mind. _It can't be true_, she thought as tears started to form. _This is my fault! I never should have given him that shot…_

Having taken his house key with her earlier, she used it to unlock Vegeta's apartment door. "Vegeta?" she called frantically. There was no response. Bulma stared at his bedroom door unable to will herself to walk through it. She fell to her knees weeping with her head in her hands.

"What are you doing?" asked a gravelly voice from behind her.

Bulma turned and saw Vegeta eating a granola bar. She looked at him for a second, like she'd seen a ghost, before rushing over and throwing her arms around him, sobbing. Vegeta raised an eyebrow, looking down at the wailing woman on his chest. He lifted her chin, investigating her as she sniffled and wiped her eyes. Then, like someone had flipped a switch, her expression changed into one of rage.

"You idiot!" she screamed hitting him repeatedly, "What the hell is wrong with you? I thought you were dead!"

Vegeta grabbed her wrists to stop the barrage of fists raining down on him. "Why?"

She wriggled her hands out of his and reached for her pager to show him the screen. "According to this, your heart stopped beating," she said narrowing her eyes at him, expecting an explanation.

Vegeta obliged. "It was no longer necessary for me to stay in bed, hooked up to the monitor. I've completely healed."

Bulma took a moment to examine him. "Wow, the vaccine worked faster than I thought. My genius amazes even me sometimes! Still you should have called me," she said poking his chest with her finger. "I'm surprised I didn't have a stroke! You know, I—" Vegeta silenced her with his lips.

When he pulled away he smirked at the utterly shocked expression on Bulma's face. Vegeta walked around her to grab his coat and headed for the door.

"W-where are you going?" Bulma asked still a little bewildered.

"Football practice," he replied briskly as he exited.

Bulma wasn't sure what to think as she watched him go. _I don't understand you, Vegeta. _She let out a sigh. _I hope someday I will._

_

* * *

_

Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Thought I'd answer a couple questions.

About a sequel: I hadn't even considered it but I actually don't hate the idea. All I can say is maybe...it depends on how I feel at the end of this fic.

Puar and Oolong? Another maybe. I've been having a lot of fun casting the supporting characters in roles I find suitable or amusing. If I find a fitting part for them in this story I will definitely use them!


	9. Chapter 9

Long time, no see… haha. I've decided to make some separations so the flow of the story wouldn't be confusing. Please review!

* * *

**A Lot to Learn**

Chapter 9

Bulma grinned looking at her science club which had grown over the weeks. All the new members were Jordan's friends from the football team, some of whom were hoping to bring up their grades and others who were looking to find girls as pretty as Clara.

What surprised Bulma most was the lack of protest coming from Vegeta. Her head reasoned that it must have been because the team was doing so well that they could spare at least one morning practice a week but her heart wanted to believe it was due to a fondness for her on Vegeta's part.

Not much had changed between them, though. When she first saw him after his surprise kiss, Bulma had felt a bit awkward, unsure how to act around him. However, seeing as his demeanor hadn't changed at all, she quickly got over her feelings of unease.

On the surface everything seemed to be the same between Bulma and Vegeta. Underneath, though, Bulma was struggling to come to terms with her feelings. She tried to dismiss them. It was only lust, she thought. But the way her heart leapt every time Vegeta appeared through a doorway or from around a corner said otherwise.

Bulma had come to learn some things about Vegeta but not nearly enough. There were times when she felt like she could predict his next move or interpret the signals he was sending but for the most part…_I can never tell what he's thinking_, Bulma thought to herself.

Her eyes wandered to Clara, who was laughing at something goofy Jordan was doing with a washer. It happened so easily for them. _Easy…maybe that's how it's supposed to be. _

Suddenly a white paper bag obscured Bulma's vision. She looked up to see Yamcha smiling down at her.

"Breakfast?" he asked.

Bulma sniffed the bag. "Mmmm smells good! What is it?"

"Breakfast biscuits with sausage, egg, and cheese," he said pulling a chair up to her desk.

Bulma watched as Yamcha pulled out the biscuits and handed her one. He'd been a good friend lately, very sweet and helpful. She knew why, of course. Yamcha was trying to win her back.

"What?" Yamcha had noticed Bulma staring.

She smiled. "You're a good friend, Yamcha."

"Thanks," Yamcha said, looking puzzled.

Vegeta was wandering the halls aimlessly after his morning workout. He didn't really know what to do with himself now that he had given the team Tuesday mornings off. Earlier this year, a day off every week would have been unthinkable to Vegeta. After some coaxing from Bulma and Goku, however he decided they deserved it. Plus, they all seemed so interested in science all of a sudden. _It's that woman_, Vegeta thought, _She has a power over people._ He allowed his mind to drift to her. As he did so he didn't realize that he was mindlessly walking toward her classroom.

As they ate, Yamcha pondered Bulma's comment. _A good friend? _he thought, _what's that supposed to mean? Is she done thinking of me as her boyfriend? Maybe it means I'm back in her good graces…yeah! It's gotta be a sign that we're on the right track—that we can get back together soon! _

Yamcha beamed at her. When Bulma looked back, a little confused he reached over and pretended to wipe something from the corner of her mouth. "You have a little biscuit crumb chillin' on your face."

A feeling suddenly swept over Bulma. It was an eerie occurrence that had been happening recently every time a certain someone was near. She turned to the doorway to see Vegeta in his usual cross-armed stance. He didn't look very happy but then again Bulma wasn't quite sure what a happy Vegeta looked like.

Without thinking, Bulma moved away from Yamcha's touch. Yamcha didn't quite understand why until he followed her gaze.

The football players in the room, many of whom had been goofing around, straightened up immediately. It was like their drill sergeant had just walked in the room.

"Hi Vegeta…what are you doing here?" Bulma's voice was unsteady. She mentally kicked herself for sounding like a guilty child.

As Vegeta walked in he examined his troops. His players quickly tried to busy themselves, making it appear like they knew what they were doing with the project in front of them (most of them had no idea.)

"I'm making sure this time off from practice is being spent wisely," Vegeta spoke with a touch of disgust in his voice,

Bulma couldn't help but feel somewhat offended. "I assure you it is. The boys have been doing a great job."

She moved out from behind her desk and up to Vegeta but he turned away before she could reach him. "I don't see how you could know that," Vegeta said coldly as he headed for the door, "you seem pretty preoccupied with your boyfriend over there."

Bulma choked. All she could do was watch him leave.

"Don't let him bother you, Bulma." Yamcha's voice startled Bulma. She didn't notice him standing beside her. "He's just jealous."

"Jealous?" As Bulma thought about this a small smile appeared on her face. Yamcha meant that Vegeta was jealous that students would rather come to a science club meeting than football practice. Bulma took it to mean what she wanted it to mean. _He wouldn't be jealous unless he had feelings for me! _"Oh Yamcha, do you really think that?"

Yamcha arched an eyebrow. He didn't understand why she was so excited. "Yeah, I do."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Bulma squealed, hugging him.

It was then that Bulma made the decision to make her move on Vegeta.

This was harder said than done. Aside from the fact that Vegeta seemed to be suddenly mad at her, Yamcha was following her around, looking for any excuse to be with her. She couldn't get Vegeta alone. When Yamcha wasn't around, someone else would show up and start a conversation. Bulma was at her wits end but she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

During her free period Bulma headed over to the library. She wanted to spill her heart out to Chichi but she wasn't sure how the brunette would take it, especially after she'd talked so much trash about Vegeta. Bulma got cold feet. When she got to the library Chichi and Eighteen were staring at Marron with incensed expressions while she prattled on about every male teacher in the school.

"I think he liked me but he never made a move," Marron said, " maybe Goku's gay or something. Now Krillen is super adorable but he's just so shy! We did go out once…"

Sensing the situation was about to get dangerous, Bulma quickly cut in. "MARRON, I was looking for a book about endangered sea bass but it seems to be missing. Do you think you could find it?"

"Oh sure! I'll get that for ya in a jiffy!" Marron smiled as she skipped away.

Bulma turned to her friends. "Calm down, ladies."

"I'm going to murder her! Who does she think she is?" Chichi said, rolling up her sleeves and getting ready to attack.

"Oh come off it, Chichi. She's got her head in the clouds! Goku would never go for her, especially since he has such a gorgeous fiancé," Bulma spoke slyly, soothing the savage beast.

Eighteen didn't look very pleased either, but once Bulma steered the conversation towards Chichi's upcoming nuptials all was forgotten.

"We haven't quite set a date but it's definitely going to be very soon! I expect you both to be there so don't make any plans!" Chichi squealed with joy. "Eighteen, I'd really love for you to be a bridesmaid."

Eighteen looked shocked but pleased. Chichi and Eighteen had become fast friends over the weeks but she never expected to be offered such an honor. She graciously accepted.

Chichi continued, "Bulma, I'm sure you knew this already, but I want you to be my maid of honor."

Bulma could feel happy tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "I thought you'd never ask!" she cried as she embraced Chichi.

"I found something!" Marron called, ruining the moment.

Bulma looked at her confused. There was no way the library had a book on endangered sea bass so what did Marron have in her hands? She held a book out to Bulma.

"I had no idea fish could make music," she said.

Bulma looked at the book titled _Playing Bass: Jazz Edition_. All three women stood in awe of Marron's stupidity.

"I hate everything about her," Chichi said as Marron walked away.

"Not everything," Eighteen admitted. The other two women stared at her, mystified. Eighteen just shrugged. "She's got a cool name."

* * *

The upcoming game against East City High was all anyone could talk about. East City's football team had been undefeated for years, making them the best in the country. Vegeta knew this was the year that would change. Last year, they had come so close. They managed to tie but lost in overtime.

This year, there were going to be no distractions. Vegeta realized this after he saw Bulma with Yamcha. At first he was enraged. Then he was angry at himself for being angry. _That woman is nothing to me. Who cares if she wastes her time with a weak idiot? I could wipe the floor with him. _As Vegeta thought this he smiled imagining the unholy beating he could deliver to Yamcha. In the end he decided it was for the best. The woman had done enough damage and if she was distracted by some pretty boy, he would be able to focus on what was important.

At practice, Vegeta worked the boys harder than ever. If they messed up a play, he made them run a mile and do it again.

Bulma sat in the bleachers, watching. Normally she'd be concerned that Vegeta was being too tough on the boys but she was too in awe of him. Vegeta was more himself here than anywhere Bulma had ever seen him. There was an air of majesty about him as he gave orders and worked out clever new strategies with Goku.

"Miss Briefs?" Bulma turned to see her star student, Clara on the bleachers behind her. "What are you doing here?"

Bulma thought for a while, definitely longer than she should have. Clara was eyeing her strangely so she finally blurted, "I feel so close to these boys now that they're in science club… I just wanted to see how they were doing… what are you doing here?"

Clara blushed. "Um… same here! That is also what I was doing. Yup."

Bulma grinned at her student. Everyone knew Jordan and Clara were together but for some reason the young couple still felt the need to keep it secret. The two sat and watched the rest of practice in silence. Jordan saw Clara as he was walking in front of Vegeta back to a huddle and gave her a small wave paired with a sheepish smile. Clara waved back a little too excitedly and immediately felt embarrassed. Vegeta watched this exchange in disgust. Then he noticed the woman. _What is she doing here? _Vegeta was so distracted he didn't realize that Jordan had stopped walking. He ran right into the boy and fell, making the boy trip as well, taking some other team mates with them like a line of dominoes. Bulma and Clara burst with laughter.

Vegeta's face went red as he stood up and brushed himself off. _These women are nothing but a distraction. I won't have it anymore. _"HEY, PEANUT GALLERY," he shouted at Bulma and Clara, "you have no business being here! This is a closed practice so GET OUT!"

Bulma's laugher stopped abruptly. Vegeta sounded really angry…

"Really coach?" Jordan asked as he brushed dirt off his uniform, "we've had people at practice before and—"

Vegeta didn't let him finish. "That's enough for today! Hit the showers! Maybe you can wash off all the failure I saw out there today!" The team ran off without another word. Goku followed them, assuring them that they were not failures and had in fact done really well at practice.

_Finally! _Bulma thought, _Vegeta's alone!_ She ran down the bleachers and caught up to him. "Vegeta!"

He turned on her with one of his fiercest glares yet. It took Bulma aback. She'd been trying so hard to get him alone that she hadn't quite thought out what she would do when she finally did.

"What do you want woman?"

"I… I uh, I wanted to…" Bulma's heart was pounding out her chest. "I wanted to wish you good luck tonight." Immediately after saying it, Bulma wanted to punch herself in the face. _I am such a chicken shit! _

Vegeta raised a brow. "Whatever," he said turning to go. _I am done with this woman from now on, _he thought. _Her head games are nothing but a threat to me. _

"Vegeta!" Bulma called again.

He turned back to her in a rage. "Wha—" Vegeta started but he was cut off by her lips. They rested on his for a few moments, soft and perfect.

When she broke away she whispered, "For luck."

* * *

As Vegeta, looked over his team a shadow suddenly overcame him. "Well, well look who it is. I didn't think you'd show up this year short-stuff."

Vegeta didn't have to turn around to know exactly who was behind him. East City's football coach, Nappa, towered over him, his massive frame shading Vegeta from the bright stadium lights. Although, Nappa was so much larger than him, Vegeta felt no fear. He knew he could take Nappa out in a second if he needed to. He wouldn't of course because it would mean his team's disqualification.

"Did you? Or did you just _hope_ I wouldn't show up? You're going down Nappa."

Nappa let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah that's what I thought you'd say. See ya later loser!"

Vegeta glared after him as he walked away. Once Nappa was out of earshot, Vegeta turned to his team. "No one here expects you to win. The other team is laughing at you. Are you going to take that? They have no idea how strong you are. Use it to your advantage! Use their weak insults to fuel your strength. WE WILL WIN THIS."

The team of boys roared powerfully. They were pumped up and ready. Vegeta watched them march onto the field proudly. As he watched the ref flip a coin he felt his lips tingle. Suddenly, he was remembering the way the woman's mouth had felt on his. He almost felt dizzy as her sweet voice echoed in he ears, "For luck." Vegeta shook his head to shake the feeling. _No distractions, _he said to himself.

He knew Bulma was there. He could feel her presence. She wasn't really a distraction. Something about her being there made him feel stronger and more clever, although he'd never admit it. It was as if he had to prove himself to her more than anyone and he savored the challenge.

Bulma watched him from amongst the crowded bleachers. Chichi sat on one side of her, Yamcha on the other. She couldn't take her eyes off Vegeta. Like a general commanding his army, he was so powerful and swift. Even though he was on the side lines it seemed as if he was one with each of the players.

"Unbelievable…"Bulma said, more to herself than anyone else.

Yamcha looked at her. "I know! This game is so close!"

With two minutes left on the clock East City and West City were tied. Vegeta's team was in possession of the ball. People were starting to get nervous. This was the exact position they had found themselves in last year. Too far away for a field goal, West City needed to get a touchdown or else the game would go into overtime, significantly dropping their chance for a win.

Everyone was at the edge of their seats. The seconds passed like minutes. Two giant members of the East City defense were headed right for the West City quarterback. They crashed into him just as the ball escaped his fingers. A surprisingly long pass. Every one on the team seemed incapacitated, blocked from making a run for the ball. Then with great quickness Jordan managed to slide by an opposing player. He wasn't sure he would make it in time. As the ball descended he reached out and it fell beautifully into his hands. For a moment the shock of it brought him to a standstill but the wave of giant players headed his direction was enough to put the lightning back in his step. He bolted for the end zone. The defense was on his heels faster than he expected. He passed the 20 yard line then the 10. _ALMOST THERE, _Jordan mentally egged himself on. He jumped, diving to reach the end zone. A player behind him dived after him. Jordan closed his eyes and he could feel hands grab his ankles. There was a loud thud as he landed, then another as others landed on top of him. He could hear a whistle blow but it sounded like it was a mile away. He opened his eyes and found that he had made it. The crowd was exploding with cheers. They'd done it. West City had won the game.

For the first time, Vegeta felt like he could stand to hug someone. He kept his hands to himself though, choosing instead to focus on Nappa's reaction. Nappa was having a fit, stomping on his play book and yelling at referees. He had to be restrained by many men when he started throwing chairs. As they dragged him away, Vegeta called out, "Don't embarrass yourself here! Save the tears for your mother!"

After much celebration, the crowd eventually dispersed. Bulma and company waited outside of the locker room to congratulate Vegeta, Goku, and the players.

Jordan came out of the locker room with Goku close behind him, his hand on Jordan's shoulder. He had been showered with praise from his peers.

"Way to go kid!" Bulma said, giving him a playful punch.

"Thanks! I still can't believe it happened. It was like a dream."

More boys came out of the locker room and patted Jordan on the back. "We'll see you at the party right?" Jordan nodded.

"You guys should come too," Jordan said to his teachers. "It's at the park. I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom is gonna be there." Jordan stopped when he saw Clara coming down the hall. "Hope to see you there!" He called back as he ran to her. When he reached Clara, Jordan lifted her and spun her around, making her squeal happily. The adults let the pair have their moment uninterrupted.

"What d'ya think?" Yamcha asked, "Should we go?"

"I told the team I would," Goku said mostly to Chichi, as if asking for permission.

Chichi shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

"Where's Vegeta?" Bulma asked. She hadn't really been listening to the ongoing conversation.

Goku answered, "He told me to say something nice to the team then headed for his office. You think he'd come to the party?"

"I bet we could drag him along," Bulma winked. "I wanted to congratulate him anyway."

Bulma started to head towards Vegeta's office when Yamcha stepped up. "I'll come with you."

"No, no that's alright. I'll just catch up with you guys outside."

* * *

In his office, Vegeta stood staring at the trophy on his desk. Tomorrow it would be in the trophy case but for now it was his. It didn't look like much, made mostly of cheap plastic but to Vegeta it represented so much more. Finally, his team was the best. He was the best. Maybe it was because all the adrenaline and excitement had yet to die down but for now Vegeta felt like he could conquer the world.

"Congratulations," a syrupy voice spoke from behind.

Vegeta turned to see the blue haired woman leaning against the doorway. Her arms were crossed over her chest, not defensively but comfortably, making her cleavage stand out. Vegeta's blood had already been rushing, now it poured through his veins like water gushing through rapids. With a grunt Vegeta refocused his attention on the trophy, moving it from his desk to the top of his book shelf.

Bulma moved into the office. She could feel an aura emanating from Vegeta and it made her heart pound. She jumped at the click of the door shutting itself behind her. She thought she saw Vegeta jump too but there was no way to be sure.

"I knew you could do it," Bulma said walking toward Vegeta. He didn't say a word. His back was still turned to her so she put her had on his shoulder.

Her touch seemed to spark something in him. Vegeta turned and grabbed the woman, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Bulma reciprocated. Every earlier interaction was a river flowing against a dam, building pressure, creating cracks. The dam had finally exploded.

Their lips never broke apart as they moved backwards. When Bulma hit the desk, Vegeta lifted her onto it. Her legs spread as the two laid flat on the desk.

* * *

"What's taking so long?" Yamcha asked. He, Chichi, Goku, Eighteen, and Krillin had been standing in the school parking lot for a while. They didn't notice the time passing at first as they recapped over the most exciting moments of the game but once that had ended they realized that Vegeta and Bulma had yet to join them.

"I'm gonna go see what's up," Yamcha said.

"Why don't you let me," Goku interjected. "I forgot to lock up the locker room anyway." He was having one of those unprecedented moments of understanding.

Yamcha wrinkled his brow, as he watched Goku head inside. "What d'ya think they're doing."

"Probably another fight," Krillin said launching into a demonstration with his hands making the others laugh. He'd been working on his impressions and he was getting pretty good at them. His right hand was Bulma, his left Vegeta.

* * *

They both breathed heavily. Their breath had become one. They had become one. Bulma was sitting on the desk naked, Vegeta holding her tightly in his arms. Her head was on his shoulder, his was on hers. It was as if he was afraid to loosen his grip, afraid to let her go. Bulma, herself didn't want him to. She almost feared that if he did she would wake up in her bed alone. Everything had escalated so quickly. It was just beginning to sink in for Bulma. She wondered what was going through Vegeta's mind at the moment. He finally stirred, moving his head off her shoulder to look into her eyes. His countenance was unlike any Bulma had ever seen line his features. It was raw and vulnerable. Bulma knew all his guards were down.

"Bulma! Vegeta!" Goku's voice calling from the end of the hall, made them both stiffen. Quickly they dressed themselves. Bulma managed to slide her dress down just as the door knob turned. Goku opened the door but looked at the floor instead of at them. "There you are," he said in pseudo-surprise, "the others were starting to worry!"

"Why?" Vegeta said, coolly. "I didn't tell anyone to wait for me."

The sound of his voice startled Bulma. She looked at his face feeling a twinge of sadness when she saw his brows were furrowed, back in their normal place, leaving Bulma to wonder if she'd ever seen them change.

Goku didn't say anything about their disheveled appearance. As they walked out Bulma continued straitening herself up. If Chichi noticed she would not have Goku's discretion.

When they reached the group, Vegeta nodded a greeting and continued on to his car. Krillin looked confused. "Seriously? We waited out here for that? I thought we were going to the victory party!"

"We are!" Goku said, "You know how Vegeta is. He probably wants to celebrate by himself."

Yamcha seemed unfazed by Vegeta's decision. "Well let's go then." He put his hand on Bulma's shoulder. "Anyone wanna carpool?"

Bulma squirmed awkwardly out of his touch. "Actually, I think I'm going to go home."

"What? Why?" Krillin, Eighteen, and Yamcha all protested.

Chichi was going to speak but Goku squeezed her had and gave her a look. She stayed silent.

"I feel a little tired to be honest…must not have slept well last night." Bulma bade them all farewell and headed home.

In her bed, Bulma's head was swimming with thoughts of Vegeta. She could feel him all around her. She wondered what he was thinking. The thought of seeing him again was an exciting one.

* * *

At the Monday morning meeting Bulma sat right next to Vegeta. She fought the urge to kiss him, or at least to touch him. She knew that was unwise. Their relationship was in a very delicate place and she would have to tread lightly.

Vegeta couldn't believe it but the woman's closeness was actually making him nervous. Her scent was intoxicating. He just wanted to hold her and take it all in. No other woman had affected him like this before. It was terrifying.

Throughout the day, Bulma was so distracted. Vegeta was the only thing on her mind. She taught her class like a zombie, mindlessly reciting the lecture.

"Ms. Briefs," the vice principle stood at Bulma's doorway, interrupting her lecture, "are these your students?"

Bulma looked over to see Piccolo holding Clara and Jordan by the collar. Both were red faced.

"Yes, they are," she said, moving out into the hall to see what the problem was. Bulma had noticed her two favorite students were missing but had decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was just a coincidence.

"I found them in an alcove publicly displaying affection," Piccolo informed, sounding a bit disgusted.

"I see," Bulma tried to sound stern but she couldn't help feeling slightly amused.

"I'll leave their punishment to you. Skipping class is a serious offense. I hope the penalty properly reflects that." Piccolo turned to Jordan. "I'm going to have to tell your coach about this."

"Well if that's the case, why don't you tell Mr. Prince to come to my room at lunch? We can discuss their punishment then." The football season was over and Bulma knew there wasn't really anything Vegeta could do to Jordan. Still, she didn't want to underestimate him and beside that it was an excuse to be near him.

At lunch time Clara and Jordan sat in adjacent desks, eyeing each other cautiously. Vegeta had yet to arrive so Bulma began without him. "Look, I know you're young and you feel like you need to be together every second but you cannot skip class. You have all the time in the world to spend together."

"You mean to _waste _together," said Vegeta, entering the room.

"No not at all. Obviously, they—" Bulma started but Vegeta interrupted her.

"What are you doing, boy? Do you have any idea what's at stake?"

Bulma was about to laugh. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think Vegeta?"

Vegeta silenced her with his hand. "Do you realize how many scouts are paying attention to you after that last game? When you graduate offers are going to come pouring in but not if you waste all your time with some silly girl." Vegeta towered over Jordan, making him shrink down into his chair.

"Hey!" Clara protested, "I'm right here!"

"That's ridiculous, Vegeta!" interjected Bulma.

"I only have the boy's best interest in mind."

"Who he spends time with is none of your business. They're both good kids and they're going to be just fine." Sensing an argument coming on she turned to the young couple. "I'm going to give you both detention. I think that's more than fair, just don't do it again." Jordan and Clara quickly exited.

Vegeta would not be silenced. He continued, "Detention? Skipping class is unacceptable, not to mention what they were doing!"

"Well then," Bulma said with a smirk, "they should kick us out for what we did."

Vegeta's face dropped. His mean face turned into one of shock, then softened. He stared at her with pleading eyes. Vegeta seemed to be struggling with something. The vulnerable expression from the other night had returned. Bulma wanted to grab his face and keep his features in place with her fingers.

"Bulma… I can't." Vegeta's use of her name made her shiver. She'd never heard him say it before. He shook his head and just like that his face fell back into its usual scowl. "This has to stop."

"Why? What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything!"

"You are so full of it, Vegeta!" Bulma was struggling to control the volume of her voice. "Why won't you let me in? After all we've been through, why can't you be a little more open?"

"To what?" Vegeta spat

"To love," Bulma said simply.

"Oh please, grow up!" Vegeta hissed, "You're no better than those kids."

"At least they're happy! They're not suppressing their feelings!" Bulma could feel tears forming. Suddenly she wanted very much to get away from this. To go back to the bliss of the night they'd shared together. It was already gone. She continued, "We shared something special. How can you deny that?"

Vegeta couldn't look at her anymore. It was too upsetting. He turned away. The next few words escaped his mouth almost reflexively. "Don't confuse affection and lust. I admit that I desired you but now that I've had you I'm done." As soon as he said it, a pain unlike any other swept over him. Was it regret? He did not know. All he knew was that he had to get out of there.

Bulma's heart fell into her stomach. All she could do was watch wordlessly as he left her presence. She didn't cry. The shock was too overpowering and it stayed with her through her classes. She felt hollow. During her free period she found herself wandering the halls with no set course or direction. Outside of the library a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her in.

"I need my maid of honor's advice," Chichi said. She led Bulma to the front desk where she'd opened up a wedding catalogue. Bulma stared as Chichi described two contrasting ideas for floral arrangements. It was like watching a movie on mute. Bulma wasn't absorbing anything.

"What do you think?" Chichi asked eagerly.

"I uh… I think they both sound beautiful," said Bulma lackadaisically.

Chichi eyed Bulma with worry. "Are you feeling alright?" Chichi placed a hand on her friend's forehead. "You didn't eat the cafeteria's fish tacos today did you?"

Chichi's frenzied concern brought Bulma back to life a bit. "Of course I didn't!" she swatted Chichi's hand away. "When's the wedding anyway? Have you set a date yet?"

"It's going to be tight but we're thinking the end of the month." Chichi's teeming excitement rubbed off on Bulma.

"Well! I better get moving on that bachelorette party!"

The pair joked about strippers and discussed color pallets until Bulma had to return to her room. Bulma decided then that Chichi's wedding would be a good distraction from her troubles. She didn't want to think about Vegeta anymore. It didn't make her angry but it did fill her with sadness and a sense of loss. Maybe she'd expected too much out of him. _What do I have to be mad about anyway_? she thought, _It's not like he made me any promises._

_

* * *

_Over the next week, Bulma spent all her free time with Chichi, helping plan her fast approaching nuptials. They got the most done in the teacher's lounge during lunch.

"I know they say black doesn't belong near a wedding but I feel like black and white are a match made in heaven…just like Goku and I…" Chichi said, dreamily drifting off.

Bulma snapped her fingers, "Focus! I think black and white can be very elegant. Eighteen?"

Eighteen nodded. She took a back seat in most of the planning. Usually they would ask her opinion and she would nod or shrug. She wasn't one to get excited over girly things so most of this was over her head.

Krillin and Goku sat at the other end of the table, eating. Krillin nudged his friend who was engrossed in his meal. "Chichi seems to have some big plans for the wedding…you sure you can afford it all?"

"Actually, her dad wants to pay for it," Goku spoke between chews. "I think he's the king of something…"

"He's the mayor of Fire Mount City," Eighteen said, sliding down the table next to Krillin. The other women were engrossed in wedding magazines and didn't notice her slip away.

Bulma closed her magazine and looked up at Chichi. "You know, I was talking to my dad the other day about your wedding. I was telling him that I thought—and this is completely your decision—that it might be kind of nice if you had the wedding at Capsule Corp. He was totally cool with it." Chichi stared at her making Bulma feel dumb for even asking. "You know because we basically have a park inside our house. I thought it would be a pretty nice location fo—"

Bulma couldn't finish. Chichi had squeezed all the air out of her lungs with a tight hug. "That sounds perfect! Oh Bulma, you're the best!"

As Chichi released Bulma, Vegeta entered the faculty lounge. He made very brief eye contact with Bulma before taking his lunch to a side table and chair. Bulma looked down at her own lunch. Suddenly she wasn't very hungry.

Chichi noticed the awkwardness of the situation but didn't quite know what to make of it. Usually Bulma shared everything with her so she was disappointed to not know what was going on. If they were dating on the sly, Chichi felt she deserved to know about it. She leaned over to Bulma and whispered, "He hasn't been sending many snide remarks our way lately… what's up?"

Bulma bit her lip. "I don't know. Maybe he ran out of insults." She watched Chichi decide if she should believe her. Whether or not she accepted Bulma's excuse, the brunette didn't argue. Bulma felt bad lying to her closest friend but this wasn't the place to discuss it. Besides she felt somewhat uncomfortable sharing her feelings. After all the time she'd spent trashing Vegeta it was embarrassing to admit that she'd fallen for him—not to mention the fact that he had rejected her.

"Vegeta!" Goku called, "We're over here!" He waved his arm in the air like he was in the middle of a crowded room.

Krillin slapped his forhead. "I don't think he had any trouble seeing us Goku."

"Then why is he sitting by himself? Come over here Vegeta."

Vegeta inhaled sharply. He was slightly annoyed but didn't feel like making a fuss so he moved over. No one really had much to say and the mood suddenly became very awkward. They ate in silence. Sick of the weird vibes, Krillin got up to grab himself a cup of coffee. He stood there, idly looking at the bulletin board above the coffee pot.

"Holy cow, Bulma! Why didn't you say anything about your birthday coming up?" Krillin had noticed it marked on the calendar pinned on the bulletin board. Principle Roshi had started putting birthdays on the calendar in hopes of being invited to the parties. Bulma's birthday was in 5 days.

"I'd honestly forgotten," Bulma said.

"Well, you've got to have a party!" advised Goku.

"Oh no, I couldn't. Not with all the wedding planning. There's just so much to do."

Chichi stopped her. "Are you crazy? Of course you're having a birthday party!" She moved the wedding catalogues aside. "No more wedding talk until after your birthday. We'll have plenty of time."

Bulma smiled at her friends. Their kindness made her life so much sweeter. It was even easier to be near Vegeta with them around.

* * *

That night Bulma sat on her bed, thinking about her birthday. _Maybe a good party is just what I need. _She pulled out some paper and started writing up an invite list. After writing in the obvious she paused for a moment. She was thinking of Vegeta. _I must be crazy to even consider inviting him! _she thought to herself. _Then again…_

Things between Bulma and Vegeta had been awkward to say the least. They avoided each other as much as possible and when they ended up near one another they exchanged the least amount of words possible. They interacted like two people who lived in the same neighborhood but didn't know the other's name—with uncomfortable politeness. Bulma comforted herself into thinking that he must still have a soft spot for her. Otherwise he wouldn't bother being so civil. It was starting to become tiring, though. She almost missed the days when they fought constantly.

Bulma wrote his name down. _He probably won't come anyway. _

Just then, Bulma's phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey! It's Yamcha."

"What's up?"

"Nothing…just bored. I miss you."

Bulma paused. "Yeah, I miss you too."

"Can I come over?"

"Sure."

* * *

O_O I feel so mean right now… but everything can't always be easy right? I hope this chapter isn't too frustrating! I promise things will get better! Let me know how you feel! REVIEW!


	10. Chapter 10

Strong arms surrounded her. Her head lay on a moist undershirt that was dampened with her tears. Bulma tried to take him in, to inhale his scent and have it stir something inside her. He wasn't the one she wanted but he would have to do.

As soon as Yamcha showed up Bulma broke down. She cried for what seemed like an eternity and he was good about not asking questions. Yamcha didn't know what was wrong but he knew there was no cheering her up. The tears were like snake venom that needed to be sucked out. The best remedy was to let it all out of her system. Before long she was asleep.

Bulma's alarm went off, making them both sit up. "I hate that sound," Yamcha said, "it's like someone's stabbing me in the ear over and over."

Bulma smiled weakly but she didn't look at him. Yamcha lightly touched her chin and turned her face to him. "Ya gonna tell me what's up, kid?"

Her eyes met Yamcha's. They were filled with a hurt he'd never seen before. Yamcha couldn't bear it. He pulled her in and held her. "I'm here for you, Bulma; however you need me to be. I know I messed up before but I never want to hurt you again. Okay?"

Bulma nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Bulma hurried down the hallway. She'd forgotten about her club meeting. Her brightest student, Clara stood at the end of the hall alone.

"Sorry, I'm late." Bulma said rummaging through her purse for the classroom key. "I had a weird morning. Ah! Found it." She put the key in the lock and turned it. "Where is everyone?"

"SURPRISE!" The lights flickered on and the room erupted with confetti. Bulma's classroom was filled with balloons. The students had draped Christmas lights from the ceiling that blinked at her.

Bulma looked around in shock. Then she turned to Clara. "What's going on?"

"Do you like it?" Clara asked in response. "We thought you seemed a little down lately and I heard your birthday was coming up so we thought we'd throw you a party to lift your spirits."

Bulma looked around the room at the eager faces looking up at her. Despite the lump forming in her throat Bulma spoke. "It's beautiful."

"And that's not all!" said a squeaky voiced club member. "I baked you a cake!" The girl lifted the top off of a cake pan revealing a lumpy questionably shaped cake. She'd carved it long ways and gave it a rounded tip. She was a smart girl but a little naïve to say the least; and not the best baker.

Bulma's mouth fell open. She could hear the football players behind her snickering. The girl looked around oblivious of her phallic creation.

Bulma wasn't quite sure how to react. "Wow…um…what…"

"It's a test tube," the girl said, confused by everyone's reaction, "because we're the Science Club…?"

"OH," Bulma laughed, "of course it is. Thank you so much."

"And one more thing," Jordan said as pushed a sheet covered cart over with one of his football buddies. Under the sheet, a mysterious object hummed. Jordan removed the sheet dramatically.

"You finished the generator!" Bulma couldn't believe it. The science fair wasn't for another two weeks and as far as she knew they were behind.

Another student gestured to some wires connected to the generator. "It works too! We rigged it to power the string lights."

"How did you do this?" Bulma asked amazed, "How did you even get in here?"

Clara laughed. "I mean, look at us. We're the biggest collection of nerds in this school."

"AND thugs!" called out a football player to subsequent high fives.

"You don't think we can figure out how to pick a lock?"

"Thank you all so much." Bulma beamed. She'd never felt more pride in her students. "Now let's cut that cake before someone sees it."

* * *

Vegeta sat in a daze while his students worked at their desks. When he arrived at the school this morning he saw something that didn't sit well with him. As he got out of his car he saw the blue haired woman holding hands with that fool she used to date. Before they parted, the idiot gave her a kiss on the cheek. At that moment, Vegeta felt an impulse to slam Yamcha's head against a wall. Now he sat at his desk trying to reconcile his feelings. What were they doing? Did the woman really reunite with that buffoon? When? How?

_Why does it matter?_ Vegeta thought, clenching his fists and deepening his scowl. _The two of them can go jump off a cliff for all I care._

"Sir?" a student said timidly approaching Vegeta's desk, "Mr. Prince? Sir, are you alright?"

Vegeta snapped out of his trance. "What? What is it?"

The student stood their trembling at his teacher's agitated response. Another student had to chime in. "We finished the assignment…"

"Took you long enough," Vegeta said. He shook away his earlier thoughts, regaining his composure. He refused to show his students any sign of weakness, lest they use it to their advantage later. It was crucial that they remain terrified of him. "This assignment was easy. I must not be assigning you enough homework."

Vegeta smirked as fear crossed every face in his classroom. "Here's the answer sheet," he said throwing the paper on a student's desk, "Trade papers and grade them. Do NOT cheat. Believe me, I WILL catch you."

* * *

Bulma sat behind the library's front desk next to the librarian, Chichi. Her students had a research paper due soon so she decided that holding class in the library would be a great way for them to do some research and for her to talk wedding with her best friend.

"SO," said Bulma flipping to a page in her planner, "We can tentatively schedule your bachelorette party for this Saturday. I just need a list of people you want to come so I can touch base with them and see if that works."

"NOPE! NUH UH" Chichi closed Bulma's organizer, "I thought I made myself quite clear, missy. No more wedding talk until AFTER your birthday party!"

"Chichi, really, it's okay! We have too much to do!"

"Don't make me throw you a surprise party. I'll do it!" Chichi warned. "And I don't have your knack for party planning so I can promise it will be very tacky."

Bulma laughed. It was true. She did know how to plan one hell of a party. And her birthday was always the biggest and most extravagant one. "Alright, I will throw my birthday bash and it is going to be unbelievable!"

The pair switched gears from wedding to birthday, happily chatting away until Yamcha showed up.

"Hey, babe!"

Chichi did a double take. What did he call her? As far as she knew Yamcha and Bulma were still very much broken up.

"I'm done for the day. You want me to pick us up lunch or something?" asked Yamcha

"Sure," responded Bulma. She could feel Chichi staring her down. "Actually, could you do me a favor? Take this invite list and give it to my mom. I need her to order invitations for my birthday." Bulma handed him a wad of papers, on which she and Chichi had written many names.

"Your birthday? Oh, yeah awesome! I knew that." Yamcha smiled sheepishly. He could tell that it was clear to both women that he absolutely did not know that. "I will take these and be back with lunch."

He leaned forward to give Bulma a kiss. Still feeling Chichi's gaze Bulma turned, letting Yamcha kiss her cheek before he turned to go, leaving the two women in uncomfortable silence.

For lack of anything better to do Chichi started scribbling on a piece of paper. "So…" she said, not looking up, "you and Yamcha are back together?"

"Well…" Bulma swallowed. She didn't know why but she suddenly felt very embarrassed. "Not officially but it looks like it."

"Hmm" Chichi nodded, chewing on her lower lip.

Bulma sighed. "Just say it, Cheech."

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

The entire library turned. One very brave student shushed enjoying the irony of telling the librarian to be quiet in the library.

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND GET BACK TO WORK" she shouted but when she turned back to Bulma she lowered her volume. "After everything you went through you're just going to go back to him?"

Bulma didn't really have a response so she just sat there while Chichi continued, "I can't believe this! I mean, I thought maybe you and Vegeta…"

"What?" Bulma stiffened. She hadn't said a word about Vegeta to anyone.

"You and Vegeta…see, Goku was getting these vibes and I was getting some vibes...that maybe you guys were…" Chichi could tell she was stepping into sensitive territory but she felt she needed to continue. It was her duty as a friend. "There's something between you two."

Bulma looked away. She didn't know why but she couldn't bring herself to admit the truth to her closest friend. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh c'mon Bulma! The way you look at him, the way he looks at you…not to mention the fact that he's altogether stopped insulting you. He's not nearly as awful as he used to be…"

Bulma wasn't sure how much longer she could listen to Chichi rattle off theories about her relationship with Vegeta. It hurt too much. Bulma had done a fairly good job of suppressing her pain so far and she wanted to continue doing that.

"…with Yamcha you know exactly what you're getting, Bulma. Do you really want to go down that road again? What about Vegeta? I mean you never know! Goku has a lot of faith in him for some reason. Maybe you should give him a try. Why not? Huh? Why n—"

"Because he doesn't want me!" Bulma realized that they once again had the attention of the entire room. The students stared at her in both confusion and intrigue. A quick glare from Chichi, though, turned their heads away.

"Bulma, I'm sorry…I didn't know."

"It's fine."

"I just want you to be happy. You know that right?"

"I know." Bulma looked Chichi dead in the eye and spoke plainly, "Not everyone can be like you and Goku. Yamcha's not perfect but he cares about me. And he actually _wants _to be with me."

"But Bulma," Chichi reached out and squeezed her friend's hand, "do you want to be with him?"

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the lunch period. "I have to go…lunch duty." Bulma hugged Chichi and said with a small smile, "It's alright. Don't worry so much about me, okay?"

In the lunchroom she sat with Yamcha, who had brought sushi from her favorite restaurant. She glanced around the room occasionally checking on students while Yamcha prattled on about something or other. Another teacher was supposed to be on lunch duty but hadn't shown up yet. Bulma was starting to get irritated. No one liked lunch duty but everyone had to do it.

"How rude!" said Bulma, interrupting Yamcha's word stream.

"Huh?"

"You can't just skip out on lunch duty! Just wait til I find out who was supposed to be here. They're going to get an earful!"

Just then the spiky haired history teacher walked in and casually leaned against a wall. He'd tried to dump his lunch room duty on some weak-willed teacher but they all fled before he could open his mouth, as if they knew what he wanted before he could say it.

"Looks like the mystery's solved," Yamcha said gesturing towards Vegeta. "Why am I not surprised? Go get 'em babe."

Vegeta turned his head, right on cue, as if he could hear the conversation. He was looking right at her. Of course,_ she_ would be here—and with _him_.

_I don't care, _he chanted to himself, _I don't care. I don't care. _He did his best to keep his expression blank, despite the rage building inside.

All Bulma could do was stare back. As usual she couldn't read his expression. Vegeta glanced at Yamcha then looked away.

"Babe? You want me to go over there and say something?"

"It doesn't matter," Bulma said looking down at her food.

"Hey that looks good!" said a voice over her shoulder. It was Goku "They have sushi in the cafeteria?"

Bulma smiled. "No, but you can have the rest."

Goku sat next to her gobbling her food in record time.

"GOKU!" Chichi called barging into the cafeteria. She'd just fed him an enormous meal and was disappointed to see that he was still hungry. But when he looked up at her with an innocent smile her anger melted away. "Let's get you more food."

The pair came back with two trays stacked high with food. As he chipped away at the mountain of food in front of him, Goku caught sight of Vegeta standing in the distance. "Yo Vegeta! Over here!"

Vegeta gave him a sideways glance before turning away to continue ignoring the table.

"Don't worry. I know how to get him." Goku said as if everyone at the table was dying for Vegeta to join them. Not the case, of course. Goku picked a brownie off his tray and waved in enticingly. "Veeegeeeeta! It's the last ooonnne…"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed on the brownie. He did want it. Why hadn't he bought one when he had the chance? With a disappointed grunt he made his way over to the table and grabbed it.

"There see," Goku patted Vegeta's back, "This is nice. It's no fun being by yourself."

"I wanted the brownie," responded Vegeta, "not your advice."

Chichi crossed her arms and turned up her nose. "That's a shame. You could learn a lot from my Goku."

Vegeta just gave a snort, preferring to continue eating his brownie over continuing the conversation. Chichi wasn't quite finished though. "I don't know why you insist on being so terrible. Sometimes I think you might be a decent human being."

Everyone else at the table was taken aback. In a weird way it appeared that Chichi was complimenting Vegeta. He stared at her with a smirk.

"Funny," he said, "I could say the same about you."

Goku swiftly shielded his head with his arms, expecting the table to turn into a war zone. He'd never seen anyone even vaguely imply that Chichi was terrible get away unscathed. To his surprise she changed the subject.

Sitting at the table with Vegeta wasn't actually as bad as Bulma would have thought. She found herself staring at him occasionally. He was making a point not to look at her at all but in a way she could feel that his mind was on her. It wasn't until she remembered what he'd last said to her that the hurt started to come back. Was she really so crazy to think that they could be together? Did she misread the signs that much? Even Goku could feel something between them so why couldn't Vegeta?

_It doesn't matter now_, Bulma told herself, _what's done is done. All I can do now is try and make things feel normal again._ She found herself squeezing Yamcha's hand. Before long, lunch was over.

"Well, I better get out of here," said Yamcha, "Walk me out babe?"

Bulma nodded and the pair said their goodbyes. On the way out a group of girls from the class he had subbed ran up to talk to him. Bulma rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. It was impossible to understand what they were saying but Yamcha nodded and smiled as he continued walking beside Bulma. Not looking ahead, he didn't see the garbage can in his path until he fell headfirst into it.

Bulma covered her mouth in an effort to contain her laughter. She thought it was so funny that she didn't even mind the girls swarming around him trying to pick off the garbage stuck to his clothes.

Goku, Chichi, and Vegeta watched from afar. Only Goku was amused.

"That woman is more foolish than I thought," Vegeta scoffed.

"You got that right…" added Chichi

Goku looked at his future wife in awe. She was actually agreeing with Vegeta? He scratched his head for a second, pondering this oddity but, in true Goku fashion, he shrugged it off almost immediately to think instead about whether or not there were any more ice cream sandwiches left in the cafeteria freezer.

* * *

Principal Roshi stood before his entire faculty looking more solemn than anyone had ever seen him. The school day was over and the halls were void of students. Normally meetings were held in a conference room in the office but Roshi had asked everyone to meet him in the athletics hall. No one was quite sure what was going on.

"Follow me," Roshi said turning to lead them down the hall.

"Sir, is this secrecy really necessary?" Vice Principal Piccolo was irritated as he walked up beside him. "What is this? Perhaps you and I should have discussed it before—"

Roshi raised his hand to silence him. "I'm afraid this is the only way."

The principal stopped in front of a door and faced his staff. "I've brought you all here for what may be the most important day of your teaching careers. I hope you are prepared."

The crowd held its breath. They could all almost hear their accelerating heartbeats synchronize as Principal Roshi rested his hand on the door knob.

"Today is the product of months of secret preparation. From now on nothing will be the same because as of today we have…" Roshi turned the knob and pushed the door open, "a faculty hot tub!"

The ground shook as every teacher fell to the ground in shock. The room was tiled and spacious. On one end there was a rack of towels. In the center was a massive Jacuzzi. In record time Roshi ripped off his close to reveal a speedo.

"Well, how 'bout a test drive?" Roshi said, slowly entering the pool. "C'mon ladies, don't be shy."

Piccolo looked at his superior with disgust. "This is wholly inappropriate! When did you…how did you even…" A vein on his forehead throbbed as he tried to comprehend the situation.

The group broke out into a chorus of rabbles. Some teachers were excited about the school's new addition but most were just really confused. Bulma and Chichi decided to use this time wisely. After Chichi effectively got everyone's attention Bulma addressed them.

"Well, I think we can all agree that this is really weird," said Bulma looking very pointedly at Principal Roshi, "but since we're here I'd like to invite you all to Capsule Corp for my birthday party." The crowd cheered. Bulma pulled the invitations out of her bag, gave Chichi half, and started handing them out.

Her heart rate sped up when she reached the envelope with Vegeta's name on it. She considered shoving it back in her bag. _No. I need to do this, _she told herself. She knew if she took this step things could slowly go back to normal. She took a deep breath and walked over to Vegeta.

Vegeta raised his eyebrow at the envelope extended to him. Bulma gave him a weak smile. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this.

"It's an invitation, not anthrax," Bulma attempted to joke with him but her voice wasn't as strong as she would have liked it to be. With a grunt, Vegeta accepted the invitation and Bulma moved on, her heart still beating in her ears. Once all the invitations were given the faculty started to filter out of the hallway. Vice Principal Piccolo pulled Roshi out of the hot tub and dragged him to his office where he planned on making him answer to Superintendent Kami.

Vegeta leaned against the wall staring at the invitation. He couldn't believe he was even considering going. The idea was ludicrous.

"You're going to be there, right?" Vegeta looked up. The black haired harpy was standing in front of him with her arms crossed. He ignored her but Chichi continued, moving to lean next to him on the wall.

"You have to go! It's only the biggest event of the year. The best food…tons of booze." She was sure she'd get his attention with liquor and food but he remained silent. She tried again. "Maybe it's not for you. You're such a stick in the mud. And it's pretty clear you're scared of normal human interaction."

"I am not."

Chichi smiled. Now she had him. "Well you sure act like it. I bet you couldn't even last five minutes at that party."

"You don't know anything. I am more than capable of socializing with you idiots. I just have no desire to bring myself down to your levels." Chichi gave him an 'oh really' look. "I'll go to your silly gathering…but for the food not to mingle."

Chichi gave herself a mental pat on the back. "Good! Goku and I are going to go present shopping. You should come with us!"

"I don't need your help."

"Oh please don't flatter yourself. I just want to make sure you don't get her something totally lame."

Vegeta growled and waled away before his temper got the better of him. _The woman's lucky if she gets anything at all. _

Goku wandered from his conversation with Krillin and Eighteen over to Chichi. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, my work is done here. Krillin, Eighteen you wanna come shopping with us?"

Krillin shook his head and said with a blush. "Naw. Now that the old man is gone Eighteen and I are gonna try out the tub."

* * *

Vegeta wandered a shopping center, glancing through store windows as he passed. Bulma's birthday had already started. He was starting to have second thoughts about going. He couldn't even believe he was considering buying her a present. Admittedly, he felt guilty about the way he'd left things with her. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't shake it off. _I'll buy her a stupid present and then I'll be done with it, _he thought. Just then a display in a store called "Rare Treasures" caught his eye. It reminded him of something he'd seen when he was in the woman's room. Without thinking about it he entered the store.

At Capsule Corp Bulma's party was in full swing. After she greeted almost every guest, Yamcha pulled her to the dance floor. Despite how crowded it was, she stood out in her strapless pink cocktail dress. When Vegeta showed up he spotted her immediately. He couldn't stop himself from watching her. She was so radiant he barely noticed her dance partner, or anyone else for that matter.

"Well look who showed up!" Chichi called out as she walked over to Vegeta.

Vegeta immediately hid Bulma's present behind him.

"Wow, I didn't believe Chichi when she said you were coming," said Goku. "Let me show you the buffet."

Goku started to lead Vegeta but Chichi pulled him back. "Oh no you don't! I just pulled you away from there. Vegeta is more than capable of finding it himself. You owe me a dance, mister!"

Vegeta watched on as couples spun around and laughed on the dance floor with a sinking feeling in his chest. They all seemed so happy. He started to question why he'd always closed himself off to that. Was he even capable of being that happy?

Goku lifted Chichi and spun her around. Yamcha dipped Bulma before pulling her in for a kiss. Vegeta hadn't seen Bulma smile in a long time. It was his fault. Yamcha could make her smile. All Vegeta did was hurt her. He looked down at the present he'd gotten her, feeling a little silly. He never should have come here.

From across the room Bulma saw a spurt of spiky hair sticking out in the crowd. _Vegeta? _She couldn't believe he was actually here. Jostling her way through the crowd, she headed in his direction. Vegeta separated from the crowd, making his way up the stairs. Where was he going? She started to call out to him but she was pulled aside by Krillin and some other party guests.

"The cake's ready!" Krillin said bringing Bulma to the center of the room.

She stared at the towering masterpiece in front of her. The bottom tier was deep blue. Each tier above it was a lighter shade of blue, the top white and climbing up the side were perfectly placed sugar flowers. She looked at her mother, standing beside the cake.

"You really outdid yourself, mom."

"Oh shucks, it's nothing!" Mrs. Briefs said, "Make a wish dear."

She stared at the candles, her mind reaching for something. _How childish, _she thought. _It doesn't matter what I wish for._ Her eyes moved to the stairs that she had just seen Vegeta go up. At that moment he started walking back down them. A thought occurred to her but she shook it away.

_I just want to be happy. _Bulma blew out the candles as everyone cheered.

"Now presents!" Yamcha said pushing one of many gift filled carts over.

Vegeta made his way toward the exit. The crowd had gathered around Bulma so no one really noticed him sneaking out; no one except Chichi.

"Where are you going?"

"You said I couldn't last five minutes," Vegeta replied with a smirk. "It's been fifteen."

Once all the presents were opened, Bulma addressed her guests. "Thank you all so much! I have a very special surprise for you tonight. I wasn't sure I could do it but I pulled a few strings and managed to get these guys to take a little detour from their music tour. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the hottest band out right now…THE GINYU FORCE!"

Behind her a partition that everyone thought was just a wall slid open revealing a stage. The room exploded with excited screams as the lights shined on five men standing in their signature poses.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" Ginyu asked the crowd who responded in with even louder screams.

"We are so happy to be here with you to celebrate Miss Bulma's birthday!" Racoom said.

Jeice moved to the front of the stage and reached his hand out to a group of women who'd collected there. "Are you ready for the most rockin' night of ya lives?"

One of the women fainted at his touch. The others squealed, "We love you Jeice!"

The group launched into their first song, the number one hit "Force of our Love."

BABY, THEY CAN'T TEAR US APART

BECAUSE YOU HAVE MY HEART

I SWEAR TO THE HEAVENS ABOVE

WE'LL FIGHT THEM WITH THE FORCE OF OUR LOOOOOOVVVEEEE.

People danced and sang along as the group performed their entire catalogue. Afterward the Ginyu Force took pictures and signed autographs for all of Bulma's guests. Once they left the party started to wind down. Bulma sat down to catch her breath. All the excitement was beginning to wear her out. Yamcha sat next to her.

"Way to go, babe. The party's a hit."

Bulma smiled and put her head on his shoulder. As they sat there, guests approached to wish her a happy birthday one last time before saying goodbye.

Yamcha stood and took Bulma's hand. "Let's go upstairs. I've been waiting to give you your present in private."

Bulma looked around. Only the hardcore partiers and those who'd had a bit too much to drink remained. Her parents could take care of them so she followed Yamcha upstairs. They stopped at the doorway to her room. Yamcha reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. Bulma stared at is suspiciously as he handed it to her. She opened it slowly and upon seeing what was inside, shut it immediately.

Yamcha gave a nervous chuckle. "Don't freak out. It's not an engagement ring."

Bulma couldn't help letting out a relieved sigh. She opened the box and looked at the ring again. It was silver with a heart shaped ruby.

"I know we're still figuring stuff out so it's a promise ring. It means I love you and that I will never hurt you again."

"It's beautiful," Bulma said taking it out of the box.

"Will you wear it?"

Bulma nodded, slipping it onto her ring finger. Yamcha beamed and gave her a kiss. Slowly they made their way into Bulma's room. They sat on the edge the bed. As Yamcha kissed her neck, Bulma stared at the ring on her finger, lit only by the moonlight coming through her window. Yamcha unzipped her dress then took off his shirt. Still kissing, they gently fell back onto the bed.

"Ow" Bulma said, breaking off their kiss. She was laying on something.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Hit the lights."

Yamcha turned on the lamp by Bulma's bed. The object was a paper bag with something inside. Bulma reached in and pulled it out.

Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "A teddy bear?"

The bear was brown with a slicked back hairdo. He wore a tan three piece suit with a green bow tie. Bulma couldn't stop the grin from forming on her face. "Not just a teddy bear! It's Werner Heisenbear!" Yamcha wasn't quite getting it so she continued. "He's a science bear! They're a line of dolls based on famous scientists… These things are almost impossible to find."

"So there's a scientist names Heisenbear?"

"HeisenBURG," Bulma corrected him. Yamcha still looked confused. "You know Heisenberg…uncertainty principle, matrix formulation… they usually work 'bear' into their names because it's cute. One of my favorites was Neils Bear." She handed him her other bear to show him. "This is Albear Einstein. I know I've told you about him."

"Oh yeah," Yamcha said not-so-convincingly. "Cool."

He put Albear Einstein aside and leaned in to kiss her again. Bulma held on to Werner Heisenbear as they once again leaned back onto the bed. How did it get here? Bulma's eyes widened as it dawned on her. _Vegeta._ She remembered seeing him go upstairs. This must have been what he was doing. She thought back to when he'd come into her room weeks ago. _He remembered…_

Yamcha was still kissing her, seemingly unaware of the fact that she wasn't reciprocating. He moved his kisses downward as he slipped off her dress. This didn't feel right. It didn't feel right to Bulma when they started and now it was becoming startlingly clear that she was making a mistake.

"Yamcha…stop"

Yamcha looked up at her confused. "What's up?"

"I don't think we should do this."

"Ok," Yamcha sat up, disappointed. "It's cool if you're not ready to do _that_ again. I can wait."

"It's not just that." Bulma sat up to be at eye level with him. "I don't think we should do _any_ of this."

Yamcha shook his head. "I don't understand."

Bulma took in a deep breath. "Einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Why are we doing this to ourselves again? Why do you even want to be with me?"

"I love you." Yamcha said simply.

"And I love you but I don't think that love means what it used to. We've been together so long…I'm not the same girl I was back then and you're not the same boy."

"That's true," admitted Yamcha.

"I'll always love you Yamcha. You're an amazing friend but lets be honest-you're a terrible boyfriend." Bulma was surprised to hear Yamcha laugh at that comment. "And I know I'm not always the girlfriend you want me to be. So why do we keep doing this? Because it's comfortable?"

Yamcha moved away from her. It hurt him but she was absolutely right. "So you think we should break up?"

"We both deserve better than this. Yes, I think we should break up." Bulma stood up and touched his arm tenderly.

"For good?"

"Yeah." She took his ring off her finger and put it in his hand.

The two embraced. It was the end of an era. When they broke apart Bulma picked up Yamcha shirt.

"So...no break up sex?" he said with a goofy grin.

"Get out of here!" Bulma threw his shirt at him.

"Kidding! I'm kidding!" Yamcha made his way to the doorway. Before stepping out he turned back. "Happy Birthday Bulma."

Once he left Bulma closed the door on him and on that part of her life. It was really over. She almost couldn't believe it. She felt a sense of lightness, like stones had been taken off her chest. She crawled into bed with Werner Heisenbear, cuddling with him until she fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Oh my, I've been very bad. I never intended to take so long with this new chapter! I've really been putting it off BUT I just watched a rather romantic movie and that put me in the mood to get started again! This will be the last chapter! As a reward for your patience, it is super long…wait is that a good thing?

Thank you for all the lovely reviews. It's good to be back! Let's get right into it…..

* * *

"How would it be a surprise if she knows it's coming?" asked the blonde math teacher in her usual icy tone.

Bulma had asked Eighteen to meet her early before school started. The pair sat in the almost empty cafeteria. Very few students or teachers showed up to school this early.

"Well, Eighteen, that's just it," replied Bulma, "Chichi thinks her bachelorette party is going to be a restaurant get-together where we exchange gifts… BLAH BLAH SUPER BORING. That's not a bachelorette party, that's grandma's birthday! That's why I want to throw her a surprise party tomorrow."

"And you want to do that at my place?"

"Yeah but you won't have to do anything. My people will handle decorations, food, and cleanup. We'll tell Chichi that we're picking out bridesmaids dresses and then when she shows up all her friend's will be there! I've got all sorts of things planned…games, activities, and of course the coup de gras…." a devious grin stretched out across Bulma's face.

Eighteen eyed her suspiciously. "No…not—"

"STRIPPERS!" Bulma squealed much too loudly, causing the few people in the room to turn and stare.

Eighteen slapped her forehead. "Do you really think Chichi would be okay with that?"

"Of course! It's all in good fun."

After getting an affirmative answer from Eighteen, Bulma happily headed to the girl's locker room. Since she had time to kill she figured she'd go for a swim. Unfortunately she made the mistake of asking her mother to pack her gym bag this morning.

_What the hell was she thinking? _Bulma thought holding up the pink string bikini her mom had packed for her. She wore the bikini mostly to tan. It was completely inappropriate for a school setting. Bulma wasn't even sure it would hold up if she swam laps in it.

_Well, I guess this is a good time to check out the faculty hot tub…_

Bulma gripped her robe tightly as she made her way down the end of the hall from the girls' locker room. It was still too early for most students but she couldn't help but be cautious. Bulma reached the door and quickly punched the entrance code into the key pad Roshi had installed. _80085_, Bulma rolled her eyes as she thought, _that pervert. _

The door opened and Bulma let out a sigh of relief when she saw no one else was in the room. She made her way to the towel rack where she removed her bath robe. Just as she reached up to hang her robe on a hook she heard the sound of the door opening behind her.

* * *

20 MINUTES EARLIER

CLINK CLANK CLINK

The sound of the weights rising and falling was all that could be heard in the dark workout room. Vegeta hadn't bothered to turn on the lights. He sat at the pec deck, his frustration increasing. The machines at school never allowed him to work with enough weight…something about students hurting themselves. He'd been visiting the gym earlier and earlier every morning due to his recent lack of sleep. He'd been plagued by dreams starring a certain blue haired woman.

He shook his head as her smiling face came to his mind. Often he'd see the image of her twirling in her idiot boyfriend's arms. It made him angry. _She made her choice, _he thought, deepening his scowl. Although, he knew he hadn't really given her much of a choice. So why was he so angry?

With a grunt he hopped off the pec machine and headed to the bench press, putting on as much weight as he could. It still wasn't enough. What had he been thinking going to that woman's birthday? Thank God she hadn't seen him. However, Kakkarot's harpy had probably told her of his attendance. He sped up his reps, willing his brain to think about anything else.

He'd successfully avoided her physical presence since the night of her birthday but she was still with him in a way, pestering his thoughts. With an irritated growl he threw the weight off of him. It landed a foot away from him and rolled all the way to the mirrored wall, cracking it. Vegeta sat up, his face buried in his hands.

Suddenly the lights flashed on, making Vegeta bolt upright in his seat.

"Vegeta?" Goku asked confused. He stood by the door with Krillin at his side. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Vegeta simply shrugged his shoulders as he grabbed his towel and wiped the sweat off his face. He meant to be out before anyone even knew he was there.

Goku moved to the discarded weight. He looked at it curiously as he picked it up and put it back where it belonged. He could tell something was up but he wasn't sure addressing it head on would do any good.

"The boys have been asking about you," said Goku, referring to the football players. "Are you gonna stick around for morning workout?"

Since football season was over Vegeta recently made the team's morning weight training optional. Surprisingly many of the boys still showed up. Vegeta did not.

"That is not necessary. They have all the supervision they need in you and the midget," responded Vegeta as he pulled himself up on a bar to do chin ups.

Krillin dropped his dumbbell, surprised by the sudden attack. He looked to Goku. "Ouch. What's his problem?"

"Geez Vegeta, you seem pretty tense lately."

Vegeta dropped down from the bar and glared at the taller man. "Is this about to turn into a therapy session?"

Goku laughed off the comment. "Nah, you just look like you need to relax, is all"

"You should check out that Jacuzzi Roshi had installed," Krillin offered. A blush drifted across his cheeks as he remembered his time in the tub with Eighteen. "Believe me it's pretty nice."

Vegeta snorted, "I'm not going anywhere near that cesspool."

He grabbed his towel and turned to leave but Goku's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Vegeta turned to make eye contact and faltered for a second when he saw the solemn look in Goku's eye.

"Vegeta," his tone was grave and an aura of seriousness emanated from him, "could you swing by the cafeteria and grab me a biscuit?"

Vegeta almost fell on his face. "Go to hell, Kakkarot!"

"Pllleeaassse Vegeta?" Goku whined as his angry colleague stomped away. "I'm hungry!"

"I'm not your woman, idiot!" with that Vegeta left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Vegeta headed to the locker room quickly. He saw some of his students out of the corner of his eye headed toward the weight room and wanted to get away before they reached talking distance. He wasn't in the mood for chit chat.

At his locker, Vegeta pulled out his gym bag in which he always kept his swim trunks just in case he felt like swimming laps. They caught his eye now and he considered what Krillin had said. A faculty hot tub was so absurd that he'd scoffed at the idea. But his muscles ached. Not from his workout but because he found himself tensing and straining them a lot lately. Finally giving in, Vegeta changed into his swim suit and headed to the Jacuzzi room.

When he reached the door he entered the code, shaking his head. He could still see the old man's giggling face telling the staff what he thought was the cleverest five digit code ever. However when Vegeta opened the door, that image was karate chopped out of his head by the sight in front of him.

Bulma was frozen with her arm still in the air, her hand gripping her robe. She was standing there, half—hell mostly—naked. Her eyes were locked onto Vegeta's as she struggled with the idea of pulling her robe back on. She wanted to so badly but something about it seemed weak, like a battle lost. He'd seen her naked before but for some reason she felt more exposed now. She was thankful for the water's bubbling sound; otherwise the pair would be standing in complete silence.

_Let go of the robe_, she ordered herself, _Act normal! _

Slowly she left the robe on its hook, choosing instead to cover her form in the water.

"Good morning," Bulma said, as coolly as she could. She stuck her foot in the tub. The temperature was so high she wanted to immediately pull it out. Instead she grit her teeth and stepped her other foot in.

Vegeta could only grumble in response as he watched her shapely form lower into the hot water. Was she moving in slow motion? Annoyed at himself, he averted his eyes. He needed to stop standing there like an idiot. Retreat was not an option, though. He would not let the woman think she could scare him away easily.

Bulma looked down at her mostly submerged body. _He must think I'm such a bimbo. _

She didn't look up until she heard the light splashing sound of Vegeta entering the other side of the tub. He was actually very far from her because it wasn't so much a hot tub as it was a hot, bubbling pool.

She was looking at him. _What does she want? _he thought to himself. He found himself struggling. Should he say something? _Why? _Vegeta threw his head back, closing his eyes. The point was to ease his tense muscles right? He focused on his breathing and pushed aside all thoughts. His body was so clenched. It didn't want to let go.

A murmur made Vegeta dart his head up. Did the woman just say something? He thought he heard her voice float across the bubbles. She started making her way across the pool, over to him. _Uh oh_, was all he could think. He couldn't take his eyes off her breasts as they parted the water like Moses and headed toward him.

"Vegeta?" Bulma's face was concerned. "Are you okay?"

Now right in front of him, Bulma reached out. Vegeta quickly avoided her touch.

"What? I'm fine. Why?" he sounded a little more startled than he would've liked but Vegeta was focused on steadying his heartbeat not his voice.

"I thought maybe the heat made you pass out. You didn't respond for a second. Even now your face is a little red."

Vegeta unconsciously grabbed his face, his eyes widening in what Bulma thought might be shock. She'd never seen him like this before. He turned his back to her. Just by looking at his muscles Bulma could tell they were overwrought with tension.

_What the hell is happening to me? _Vegeta thought. He'd never had so much trouble controlling his body. Was he blushing? _No, it's the heat from the water. _

A soft touch at the base of his neck pulled Vegeta out of his thoughts. Bulma pressed her thumbs in a circular motion just under his shoulder blades. His shoulder's seemed to drop 5 inches, instantly. Was the woman some sort of witch doctor?

"There, see? That's better isn't it?" said Bulma, gently in his ear.

Her hands felt good—too good. He needed to get a grip.

Vegeta moved away from her. "You shouldn't touch things that don't belong to you."

"Is that a challenge?"

Bulma's comment made Vegeta turn and look at her, bewildered. Before he could respond she moved toward him with her hands extended. The water slowed her movement making her look zombie-like. He half expected her to start grumbling about brains. The intensity in her eyes was unnerving. Vegeta backed away as she kept coming closer. Eventually, this turned into a full-fledged chase. They were practically swimming laps in the tub.

After a moment Vegeta realized the sound of her splashing behind him had ceased. He turned only to see she wasn't behind him or even in the room for that matter. He squinted to look down, below the surface of the water but the bubbles obstructed his vision.

"RRRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" Bulma let out a battle cry from behind Vegeta as she rose out of the water like a shark attacking a large fish. She threw her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his waist. She clung to him tightly, mostly because being under the hot water for that long had made her dizzy.

Vegeta thrashed about, trying to shake off the woman but she had really latched on. She started yelling, "I'm touching you! I'm touching you! I'm touching you!"

He stopped moving, finally deciding on a different tactic. Vegeta filled his lungs with air and dunked under the water. About thirty seconds later Bulma shot out of the water, gasping for air. Soon after, Vegeta slowly poked out of the water, stopping just under his nose, and eyed her suspiciously.

"I won't do anything else! I promise." Bulma started to laugh, "That was really fun! Do you feel a little loosened up?"

Vegeta rubbed the back of his neck. Surprisingly enough, he did feel better.

"Here," Bulma said as she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back. She placed him in front of one of the jacuzzi's jets. "That outta feel nice. You should really try to relax…you know you're the only person I know who's tense in a hot tub…"

"I was fine until you started harassing me."

Bulma let out a sigh because she knew where this conversation headed. She'd give a heated response, then he would argue back and so on until both of them we're too pissed to continue. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "It was nice talking to you again."

She lingered there a moment, making Vegeta aware of every part of her—her soft skin, her chest pressed against his, her intoxicating scent… then she simply moved away and exited the pool.

* * *

Bulma started lecturing that day only to find that she wasn't feeling it. Her mind was too distracted and since the day's lesson plan wasn't particularly exciting it was hard for her to focus. Archimides' and Bernoulli's principles couldn't quite compete with thoughts of Vegeta or ideas for Chichi's bachelorette party (when she wasn't thinking about one she was generally thinking about the other). She could tell the students weren't into it either. Bulma let out a sigh and put down her dry erase marker.

"Are you guys even paying attention?" she asked pulling most of her students out of a trance. No one was brave enough to say a word for fear they would be punished.

Bulma continued, "Who am I kidding? I'm the one talking and _I'm _barely paying attention." Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "How about we put some of these principles to the test?"

She grabbed a box and started throwing supplies into it. "Gather your things!" Once she collected everything she'd need, she headed to the door. "Follow me, everyone."

As they walked down the hall, other classrooms stared curiously at the parade of students passing by. Bulma led them outside to one of the open stretches of grass behind the school.

"Alright," Bulma said, throwing the box in front of her students, "in there you will find paper, scissors, tape, and other various things that might be useful to you. Keeping in mind the principles we've been discussing in class, I want you to construct the perfect paper airplane. I'll give you guys 20 minutes and then we'll test them out. I'll give bonus points to the owner of the plane that flies the farthest and the highest."

As her students excitedly started working, Bulma sat in the grass and let the sun warm her skin. Every now and then a student would run up to her with a question but mostly she just sat back and watched. She giggled as she watched them eagerly try new things. The joy she felt now was exactly why she started teaching. With everything that had been going on in her life recently it was nice to be reminded of that.

She had the class line up and throw their planes one by one. They laughed as some of them crashed immediately and cheered as others flew farther than expected. All the noise had carried into the classrooms at the back of the school. Students peered through the window at them, envious.

"Sit down! What are you doing?" Vegeta barked at his students who were pressing their noses against the window. They reluctantly complied. "What could possibly be going on out there that's so—" Vegeta stopped as he saw the students outside with their science teacher. He paused as he remembered her arms around his neck and the feel of her lips.

Vegeta growled, shaking that away. Fueled by anger, his most easily accessed emotion; he opened the window and yelled, "Are you enjoying disrupting my class or were you too stupid to even notice?"

Bulma's head snapped toward where the yelling had come from, although she didn't need visual confirmation to know who it was coming from. The best thing for her to do in this situation would be to apologize and move on but she wasn't sure she was a big enough person to take the high road. Besides, how dare he yell at her like that in front of her students?

"Don't yell at me!" she shouted back, "It's not my fault you're too boring to hold their attention!"

"Ooooo burn" called one of Bulma's students from behind her.

Vegeta wanted nothing more than to climb out the window and…well he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do with the woman. He was still having trouble sorting things out in his head. The least he could do was have the last word.

"That's just the type of response I'd expect from an overgrown spoiled brat like you!" Vegeta slammed his window shut and forcefully closed the blinds. His students stared at him in shock. They knew he was mean but not that mean.

"What are you looking at? BACK TO WORK!" Vegeta's stomach was surprisingly unsettled after that. It couldn't be that he felt guilty?

Bulma was fuming over Vegeta's comments but instead of retreating Bulma continued her lesson plan throughout the day and kept her class perfectly positioned outside his window. She hoped he would stick his face out the window again…so she could punch it

* * *

After a short inner debate Bulma headed to the faculty lounge for lunch. She was considering eating lunch in her own classroom to avoid another run in with Vegeta. But then she decided that would only make him feel more self-important. _I'm starting to forget why I even fell in love with him, _she thought as she opened the door. _He's only given me reasons to hate him._

All this time had passed and she still had no idea what was going on in his head. She thought for a bit that she could figure him out but recently he was becoming more and more unpredictable. It made her so mad!

Just as she suspected, he was there sitting next to Goku. She seated herself across from him, next to Chichi and made sure to give him her fiercest glare.

"There you are!" Chichi said, "I want you to try these dumplings I made. It's a new recipe!"

"Mmm those look good!" Bulma thought for a moment and directed the next bit at Vegeta. "I feel bad taking some of your food though. Are you sure it wouldn't be too BRATTY of me?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her.

Chichi looked back and forth between the two of them, confused. "Um... I really don't mind."

Bulma accepted the dumpling, keeping her gaze on Vegeta. Chichi looked over at Goku, hoping he'd have some sort of solution for the uneasiness in the room. Goku simply shrugged, preferring to give his attention to the plate in front of him.

Finally Chichi spoke. "You know, Bulma, people are still talking about how awesome your party was."

Bulma snapped away from the staring contest she seemed to be having with Vegeta. "Really? Well, I guess I did go all out this year…"

"You got a lot of presents too!" said Goku, joining in. "Anything good?"

"Yeah! Which was your favorite?" added Chichi, grateful the darkness in the room had finally lifted.

Bulma grinned. They'd just given her a vehicle to exact a very small bit of revenge on Vegeta. "Well, I got this limited edition teddy bear. It was super sweet."

She noticed that Vegeta had stopped looking at her. The corner of his mouth gave a slight twitch.

"Who gave you that?" Chichi asked.

"There wasn't a card but I'm pretty sure it was my dad."

Bulma's smile broadened as Vegeta choked on his food. If she knew anything about him it was that he had a huge ego and that he was extremely proud. She knew he'd want to take credit for buying the best present. However, by admitting he'd bought the present he'd also be admitting that he did something so considerate for Bulma. So even though it was killing him not to loudly proclaim his greatness, his pride simply wouldn't allow him to speak up.

As she watched him squirm she felt the soft spot in her heart—the spot with his name on it—warm up again. He actually looked kind of adorable.

* * *

"Chichi, hurry up!" Bulma called to her friend. They'd arrived at Eighteen's apartment and she was having a hard time containing her excitement.

"I'm coming!" Chichi hollered back, "I'm just grabbing my catalogues." She was still under the impression that they would be picking out bridesmaids dresses.

"Shouldn't you knock?" Chichi asked when she reached the door and saw that Bulma's hand was already on the knob.

"Huh? No! She said she'd leave it open…." Bulma pushed the door open and gestured Chichi to enter first.

"SURPRISE BITCH!" the whole room shouted at her. One of her bridesmaids ran up and shoved some sort of tiara on her head.

Chichi look around bewildered. The room was filled with all her favorite girl friends. Streamers and banners were plastered all over the wall with naughty pictures of nude men. In the center of the room a phallic piñata hung from the ceiling. "What…is going on?"

"It's your bachelorette extravaganza, silly!" Bulma squealed nudging her friend further into the room.

Chichi touched the crown on her head. It had a white veil and springs all over it, at the end of which little plastic things were attached. "What's on here?" she asked, pulling the tiara off to take a closer look. "Oh! It's just penises." She flicked them with her index finger, making them bounce around, before putting the crown back on her head.

Chichi held her hands to her chest as if her heart was about to jump out it. "You're all here? For me?"

"Of course! And that's not all. Do you want a cookie?" Bulma asked. She didn't really wait for a response. "COOKIES!"

"Coming!" a soft voice floated into the room from the kitchen.

When they turned to look, a tall woman with long, luxurious dark blue hair stood in the doorway with a tray of penis shaped cookies.

Bulma turned to Chichi, a bit embarrassed. "I may have taken the penis thing a bit too far…"

Chichi wasn't listening. "Launch?" her eyes were welling up with tears at the sight of her childhood friend. Eighteen, who had been standing nearby, grabbed the tray of cookies just before the women embraced.

"How? What are you doing here?"

"Well, Bulma gave me a call," Launch answered, retying the red ribbon in her hair which had come loose. "and I figured, Tien would be just fine if I left for a few days.

Launch grew up in Fire Mount City with Chichi. The pair had been inseparable ever since they met, mostly because Chichi was the only person strong enough the stay by Launch's side. She suffered from a very rare disorder that tended to push most prospective friends away from her. When the time came for college, the pair happily moved to West City together where each girl hoped to build her perfect life. About a year ago, scandal had forced Launch to move away.

The hustle and bustle of West City had only served to worsen Launch's condition. Eventually her blonde alter ego's rampages had become known all around town. Before she knew it, she'd become somewhat of a celebrity with the media hounding her every move. Despite all the trouble, Chichi vigorously defended her friend. When they met Bulma, she also protected Launch, using her family's influence in any way she could.

In order to keep Launch out of a prison or a maximum security hospital, Bulma connected her to a well-respected psychologist, Tien Shinhan. What she hadn't anticipated was that the two would fall in love. When their affair leaked to the media, Tien's reputation was ruined. It was then he decided that it would be best for them to relocate. He loved her more than his career, so as long as they could be together he could care less about what others thought of him. So the two of them moved to the countryside where Tien opened up a care center for patients whose disorder's made it so they couldn't live alone. Launch happily assisted him, considering each of them a member of her new family. One such patient was named Chiaotzu. A trauma had caused him to regress into a permanent state of childhood. He loved Launch and Tien like they were his mother and father.

After quickly catching up, the ladies sat Chichi down to decorate the cookies. The women laughed as they made goofy designs with icing. Bulma decided to turn hers into eyes and a nose. They played a quiz game as Bulma's staff of caterers served them cocktails. By her second cocktail, Chichi had already started revealing some of her and Goku's bedroom secrets. They ate; they drank, giggling the whole time.

"I think its piñata time!" Bulma grabbed Chichi and blindfolded her. Everyone gathered around her. The group counted as Bulma spun her around. Eighteen handed her a bat. When they released her, Chichi's dizziness led her toward one of her friends who had to duck as the bat came flying towards her head. Launch took her by the shoulders and gently herded her in the right direction. The second swing was a miss but the third hit the nail on the head (literally). The tip of the piñata ripped and penis lollipops fell out onto the floor. The women cheered as they grabbed some candy.

Bulma watched and said, mostly to herself, "Yeah, I _definitely_ went too far with the penis theme."

Next up was presents. Chichi found herself blushing often at the gifts. She received quite a bit of lingerie as well as some gag gifts like fuzzy hand cuffs. Eighteen played it safe with a big collage picture frame. Bulma handed her gift to Chichi.

"Bulma! You didn't have to get me anything, especially after throwing me such a nice party!"

"Don't worry," said Bulma with a sly grin, "it's kind of more of a gift for Goku anyway."

Chichi ripped the paper, only to explode into embarrassed giggles when she saw what it was. She held it up to show it off to the group. "Edible underwear!"

Just then there was a knock at the door. Bulma quickly had the caterers bring out another round of cocktails for everyone, effectively distracting them while she went to get the door. She opened it but she didn't see anyone.

"Ahem," the sound came from below. She looked down to see a white cat standing before her with a wooden cane. "Is this Miss Chichi's party?"

"Yes," Bulma responded cautiously, "wait…you're not—"

"No, of course not! The name's Korin and I am part owner of KittyPig Entertainment. Your entertainment is on its way."

From behind him a giant cake that was almost taller than Bulma rolled into view. It was being pushed by a little pig man and another creature that Bulma thought was probably a cat.

"When I read it in the directory, I didn't think the name was literal…" Bulma said to the old cat.

"I get that a lot."

"The dancer isn't…you know…a"

"No, no," responded Korin, "He's all man." He allowed Bulma to let out a sigh of relief.

"Move it or lose it, lady," grunted the pig.

The kitty on the other side looked mortified. "Oolong, don't be rude to the customers!" She turned to Bulma. "I'm sorry ma'am."

Bulma moved out of the way and allowed them into the house with their giant "cake".

"Holy crap! That's a big cake!" It was clear from the sound of her voice that the cocktails were starting to take their effect on Chichi.

_Perfect! _Bulma thought, _She'll be good and loosened up for the surprise!_

"Hello, everyone!" said the cat in her high pitched voice. "My name is Puar! Where is our lucky bachelorette?"

Eighteen nudged Chichi, who stepped over to the cake.

"Wooowww! What a beautiful lady! We'll let you do the honors and cut the cake!" Puar handed Chichi a cake knife and stepped back. From the other side of the room, Oolong pressed play on a boom box and Puar called out, "I just hope you don't mind that it's BEEFCAKE!"

Confused Chichi moved closer to the cake but just before she could cut it the top tier popped off. Confetti shot out, catching Chichi off guard, causing her to yelp and fall back into the crowd of ladies behind her. Out the cake they saw a long mane of black hair rise up. The man turned his head slightly and gave them a wink. Chichi watched, mortified as slowly he turned to face them all. He moved to climb out of the cake only to meet some resistance.

Bulma slapped her forehead as the man's giant gut had trapped him inside the cake. All the women looked at her. Was this some kind of joke? The stripper was…so fat.

"Dammit Yajirobe!" shouted the pig. "I told you to test it out before show time!"

Bulma turned angrily to Korin who held his hands up and attempted to appease her. "Don't worry! It's just a minor setback." He hollered at Puar, "GET THE OIL!"

Puar and Oolong ran over to the cake, each with a bottle of oil in their hands. Yajirobe, being a fairly haughty man, tried to make the best out of the situation. "Aww yeah ladies! It's about to get real sexy up in here."

As they poured the oil on him, Yajirobe slathered himself with it. As he rubbed his gut his gelatinous figure jiggled before them. Many of the women let out cries of agony. He then shook his shoulders back and forth, making Eighteen dry heave as his man boobs wobbled about. When he was freed from the cake, everyone was pleased to see he was not naked but that he was instead wearing a loin cloth, similar to one a sumo wrestler might wear.

"There we go! Now who wants to be the first to get a piece of this?" Yajirobe said in what he considered to be his sexy voice. He stuck his rump out to the ladies.

"Please stop!" they cried, covering their eyes.

Yajirobe looked at their horror, completely baffled. How could they not be enjoying this? His face turned beet red. In order to cover his shame, he crossed his arms and turned his snub nose up at them. "Oh I get it! You ladies just can't handle such a large bundle of sexiness…you're just like the rest of them."

The room was silent. The women could tell they'd made him feel bad. They looked at each other guiltily. Bulma felt the worst. She never intended for the party to take such a turn. She put her hand on Chichi's shoulder. "Chi, I'm so sor—"

"Alright then fatty," Chichi said after a moment, "are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna shake it?"

Yajirobe didn't turn around. Bulma started a slow, rhythmic clap. The other ladies soon joined in and the tempo picked up. They began to chant. "Shake it! Shake it! SHAKE IT! SHAKE IT!"

As the chanting got louder and faster, Yajirobe started moving his massive behind from one side to the other. When he turned around, Oolong restarted his music and he sprang full on into his routine. The women cheered, supporting him. Chichi even stood up and started dancing with him. As the other women joined in on the dancing Yajirobe stood himself up on the coffee table. He did a few booty pops, followed by some high kicks. No one had cleared the table of course so silverware and food started flying everywhere. He punted the salt and pepper shakers, sending flecks of the seasonings into the air. It lingered for a bit floating just under one of the women's noses as she danced, Launch.

"AAAAHHH-CHOOOO!"

* * *

Krillin sat at a table watching Goku stuff bar food down his face. He swigged his beer and thought, _I'm such a failure._

Bulma had informed him only just recently that she intended to have Chichi's surprise bachelorette party. She told him it would be wise for him to throw Goku's party as well. He'd never thrown a bachelor party before so he figured he'd do what they did in countless movies.

"Want a dance?" asked a very tall Amazonian looking woman to Vegeta. He dismissed her by looking away and guzzling his beer.

Krillin watched the exchange. He couldn't believe he'd actually managed to get Vegeta here. He glanced over at the stage where Roshi was waving bills at a lady swinging on a pole. It was pretty easy to get him to come out. Roshi had dragged Piccolo over to the stage with him. A purple color graced his cheeks as he bashfully tried to avert his eyes from what was before him. Yamcha sat on his other side. He very happily accepted a lap dance from the woman who had been offering them. Krillin slapped his forehead. _What a motley crew. _

He considered getting Goku a lap dance but Chichi's angry face kept appearing in his mind. He knew he'd be in for it when Chichi found out that he brought Goku to a strip club. Krillin would definitely be dead if she found out he'd gotten him a lap dance on top of that.

Vegeta angrily watched Yamcha's lap dance. He flicked his bottle cap at him, bouncing it off the side of his head.

"What's the big idea?" Yamcha yelled grasping the now red spot on his head. He handed the stripper some money and said, "Thanks babe" before going over to confront Vegeta.

Vegeta rose to meet him. "Maybe I should be asking you that, you sleazy bastard."

"What are you talking about dude? This is a strip club! People get dances at a strip club! If you're so offended why did you come?"

"I'm sure that excuse will make perfect sense when you have to explain to your woman why you're covered in body glitter." Vegeta was seething. He'd seen Bulma's face after Yamcha had hurt her and he couldn't bear to see it again.

That threw Yamcha off. "My what? Who're you…oh Bulma? Woah man, she's not my 'woman'." Yamcha watched as Vegeta swallowed that bit of information. He seemed thoroughly taken aback. At that point, something clicked in his head. "Wait a minute…are you into her?"

Vegeta didn't bother answering. He simply sat back down again, taking another gulp of his beer. When Yamcha didn't move away, Vegeta finally spoke. "Get out of the way, idiot. You're blocking the boobs."

Yamcha moved out of his line of sight but made sure to put his chair right next to Vegeta's. "So you like Bulma, huh."

Vegeta growled, continuing to ignore him.

"Man, I had a feeling," Yamcha resumed. "Can't say I like it but I guess I don't have a say anymore."

"Will you shut up?"

Yamcha couldn't help but laugh. In a weird way, it seemed like Bulma and Vegeta were meant for each other all along.

Krillin put his hand on Goku's shoulder after ordering him another round of buffalo wings. "I'm sorry, man. This bachelor party isn't very good, is it? I'm the worst best man ever."

Goku looked up, his face splattered with buffalo sauce. "What are you talking about, man? These are the best wings I've had in my life! I'll have to bring Chichi here next time!"

Krillin shook his head and laughed at his best friend. Not even the filthiest places in the world could stain his purity.

* * *

"I'm so sorry again!" Bulma said bowing in apology.

Poor Yajirobe was now covered in bruises. Unfortunately, Launch had had another episode and her vicious alter ego had taken out all her violence on the plump stripper. Luckily, Eighteen and Chichi were able to apprehend her while Bulma held some pepper under her nose to set her straight.

"Hopefully this will cover any sort of mental or physical damage." Bulma handed him a wad of cash that was twice their agreed upon price.

"He'll recover," said Oolong his eyes glistening as he accepted the money. "You know, you've got a nice tush. Give me call if you ever want to join the company. We're always hiring." He handed her his card, which she promptly crumpled up and threw aside.

Once they left, Launch regained consciousness. "Where'd the stripper go?" she asked genuinely confused.

Bulma laughed and Chichi hugged her. "I missed you so much."

Launch was unpredictable and kind of dangerous but they couldn't help but love her.

After the evening winded down, some of the guests went home. The women actually did end up picking bridesmaid's dresses from one of Chichi's catalogues.

Chichi kicked her feet up and leaned back into the couch. "Bulma, this was awesome! Someday I hope I can return the favor."

Bulma nodded, her smile fading a bit. A sinking feeling had started in her chest. Chichi noticed of course and reached out to her.

"Don't look like that! It'll definitely happen for you."

Launch touched her other shoulder. "That's not the Bulma I know. C'mon, you're one of the strongest, most beautiful women I've ever met! You can have any guy you want!"

"Not quite," Bulma sighed.

"What d'ya mean?" asked Launch. She was completely out of the loop.

"It's not a big deal," Bulma tried to minimize the situation. She didn't want to spoil the evening with her problems. She tried to smile and joked, "For the first time in my life, I want something I can't have."

"Be patient."

Bulma, Chichi, and Launch looked up. Eighteen had been quiet for a while so when she finally spoke, her voice had surprised them all.

"It's not so easy for some people. Sometimes it takes time for them to wake up and realize," said Eighteen.

Bulma beamed at her. Her tone had sparked something inside her. She didn't know why but she was glad.

* * *

Bulma slipped on her white heels and inspected her appearance in the mirror. She looked pretty good in her bridesmaid's dress. It was a black A-line dress with a white ribbon just above the waist. The skirt of it landed just above her knee. Once she was satisfied with the way she looked, Bulma headed to Capsule Corp's indoor garden.

She was pleased to see that the altar construction was finished and most of the chairs were already set up. The wedding planner updated her on the status of food and decorations for the reception as she walked out of the garden, down the hall, and into the living room.

"Sounds good!" Bulma said, dismissing her. "Now time to check in with Chichi."

Just as she headed for the stairs a very loud snore stopped her. She hadn't noticed before but Goku had been sleeping on the couch the entire time. Bulma shook her head in disbelief.

"Goku!" she shouted. When he didn't stir, she shook him. "Wake up, Goku! You need to get ready!"

"Hnn wha? Is it time for breakfast?"

"No dummy, it's time to get dressed, you know, for your WEDDING! I can't believe you could sleep at a time like this."

"Sorry," Goku said scratching the back of his head. "I haven't been sleeping well. Chichi kept calling me last night. I guess she's kinda nervous about today."

Despite living at different locations, the two generally spent the nights together. However, for the past week, Chichi insisted that they sleep apart in order to make their wedding night all the more special. That, of course, didn't stop her from calling him every hour with her concerns.

"Well go on now! Shoo!" Bulma nudged him. "I'll have some food sent to your room, okay."

Goku happily complied, heading to one of Capsule Corp's many guestrooms.

"Oh! And Goku," Bulma called, stopping him, "try and do something about your hair."

Bulma had made sure to send Goku to a guestroom in a wing that was far away from the room Chichi was getting ready in. It was a precaution she knew she had to take, lest he simply waltz in to see Chichi before the ceremony. Goku really didn't know much of superstitions.

Chichi was surrounded by a team of stylists—one working on her hair, another on her makeup, a third on her nails, and a fourth was fidgeting with her dress. Bulma had no idea how they weren't tripping over each other.

On the other side of the room, Eighteen sat in a chair fiddling with her tiny bouquet, while Launch adjusted her hair in the mirror.

"How's our beautiful bride doing?" Bulma asked.

"I feel like a parade float," Chichi barely moved her lips when she answered as they were currently having lipstick painted on them.

Bulma shooed the stylists aside. "Let's take a break, huh?" She handed Chichi a bottle of water with a straw in it. "You look gorgeous."

Chichi really did look beautiful. Her ball gown style wedding dress was a pure ivory color. The top was heart shaped and a black sash wrapped around her midsection, tying into a bow in the back. Her hair had been curled, styled into an up-do, and embellished with a small white flower.

The men didn't take long to get ready. They stood by in the living room, waiting for the bridesmaids to come down. The guests shuffled in. Ushers led them to the garden where they started taking their seats.

Goku, now dressed in a black tuxedo, fiddled with his white bowtie. He'd untied it and was struggling to retie it.

"Why did you untie it?" Krillin asked.

"It was really tight! I felt like I was choking."

Krillin gestured for him to kneel down. "This is what a best man is for," he said, shaking his head.

It was at this point Krillin remembered that his bowtie had come pre-tied. He fumbled with it until it gained some semblance of a bow. When he stood back, he could see that it was crooked and not quite right.

"Crap…sorry Goku. I guess I'm not that good at tying bowties," admitted Krillin. He looked to Yamcha, who simply shrugged. His bowtie was a clip on.

"Stand aside." Vegeta stepped forward. He undid Krillin's sloppy knot and easily tied it the proper way. Krillin watched closely, memorizing the steps.

Goku smiled. "Thanks man!"

The wedding planner entered the room. "Alright, everyone's here. The ceremony's about to start so Mr. Son you can head to the altar now."

Goku nodded and turned to his friends. "Well, here we go!"

"Wow…I can't believe it," Krillin said, grasping Goku's hand. "The next time we talk you'll be a married man."

Goku gave Krillin's hand a shake. He chuckled, "Haha I guess you're right."

He gave a nod to Vegeta, who returned it. Yamcha, as well as a few others patted Goku on the back as he stepped out of the room.

Eighteen and Launch had joined the men. Krillin was still staring at the door from which Goku had just exited. "That Goku, he's as cool as ever…"

Bulma entered the room just as the wedding planner started pairing them up to walk down the aisle.

"Alright let's see here. You and you," she said pointing to two of Chichi's cousin's, who were a groomsman and a bridesmaid respectively, "come stand here. You'll be stepping out first."

She put another pair together before placing Launch and Yamcha together behind them. Then she paired Vegeta with Eighteen.

"And last to enter before the bride will be the best man and the maid of honor," she stated, placing Krillin and Bulma into position. "Is the bride on her way?"

"She should be," said Eighteen, looking over to the stairs.

The group waited, all looking at the stairs expectantly. She didn't come.

"Where is she?" One of Chichi's cousins asked.

"She must not have realized we were starting," assumed Bulma. "I bet she's still sitting in the room. I'll go get her."

When Bulma got to the room Chichi was nowhere in sight. The only ones in the room were the stylists who were packing up their things.

Bulma questioned them. "Where'd Chichi go?"

"She left," the makeup artist answered. "The ceremonies starting so she headed down."

_What? _Bulma thought. Chichi would have walked past her if she was heading down to the ceremony. _Where did she go?_

Bulma walked down the hall, peeking into rooms as she past them. She was met by Eighteen and Launch who were wondering what was taking so long.

"I don't know where she is!" Bulma told them her voice bordering on panic.

Eighteen wondered aloud, "You don't think she ran…do you?"

"No!" Bulma responded. "There's no way! She's wanted this for so long. Let's just keep looking. I'm sure there's an explanation for this!"

The three women bolted down the hall, looking everywhere they could think. Bulma checked a room: nothing. Another room: nada. The hallway closet: zilch.

"I FOUND HER!" Launch's voice echoed down the corridor. Bulma and Eighteen rushed over. Launch was standing outside the bathroom.

"Chichi?" Bulma called, pressing her ear against the door.

"Yeah.." Chichi's voice was wrought with anxiety.

"What's going on hon? Can we come in?"

In answer, Chichi opened the door for them. As they entered, they saw her standing slightly hunched over, her expression filled with anguish. Her eyes were brimming with impending tears that threatened to fall and ruin her makeup.

Bulma rushed to her, grabbing her shoulders. "Chichi what's going on? Are you okay?

Chichi shook her head. "I…" she winced, unable to continue.

"You can tell us dear," said Launch stepping forward. Eighteen joined on the other side.

"I... I HAVE TO PEE SO BAD!"

Eighteen braced herself on the sink to keep from falling over. "What? Then do it…"

"I tried but I can't figure out how to...my dress is so big, I'm scared I'll pee on it. Then I thought maybe I could hold it through the ceremony but there's no way! I'm about to bust!"

The other women looked at each other. They knew what to do.

"Don't cry," Bulma said warningly. She knew there would be no time to adjust her make up after this. She looked into Chichi's eyes with intensity. "This is what bridesmaids are for."

They each grabbed a section of her dress. Bulma got the front, Launch the side, and Eighteen held on to the train.

"Don't look," Chichi said sheepishly.

Once Chichi had finished her business, they straightened out her dress and finally headed downstairs. The wedding planner looked like she had almost had a heart attack but she was relieved the ceremony could finally begin.

The band struck up the music and they began their march. As the first pair came out they saw that that everyone who had been seated had turned around in their chairs with concerned faces. Upon seeing the procession they looked relieved.

"I never really liked these things," Eighteen muttered to Vegeta as they walked slowly down the aisle. "I always thought they were kind of silly but I guess I'm happy for Goku and Chichi."

Vegeta only offered a "Hn" in response.

"I guess I could see myself doing this," she thought aloud in her usual cool tone. "It'd be much smaller of course…"

Vegeta gave a snort.

"Oh come on, I'm sure you've imagined your wedding at least once."

"Please…You're talking to a man, not a teenaged girl."

Eighteen sighed, "You remind me of someone, you know."

"Really," Vegeta responded in faux interest.

"Yeah, she closed herself off from the world because she thought she didn't need anyone. She figured other people would just slow her down—make her weak or… hurt her. But she's changed now." Eighteen said thoughtfully.

"What happened?"

Eighteen responded rather matter-of-factly, "She found someone to care about—someone who loves her no matter how cold or mean she appears to be." She couldn't stop the blush from creeping onto her cheeks.

"What d'ya think their talking about?" Krillin whispered to Bulma. They were walking a few feet behind.

Bulma shrugged. "I don't know. They're quite the pair aren't they?"

"Don't say that!"

"Oh sorry, Krillin. I don't mean it like that… They're just kind of alike in a way, you know? They're both tough and hardened somehow."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Krillin admitted. "Eighteen was a hard shell to crack but she's actually really warm and good inside. I think I just got lucky."

Bulma smiled, "She was lucky too." Krillin didn't understand so she elaborated. "No one would have gotten to know that side of her if it wasn't for you. I don't know how you did it."

Krillin shrugged. "I'm not quite sure either. Once I stopped trying so hard, it just kinda happened. I guess sometimes you just have to say 'screw it' and see what happens."

They separated once they reached the altar. Krillin took his spot by Goku and Bulma moved next to where Chichi would stand once she got there. She gave Goku a wink.

"Oh yeah, Bulma!" Goku said as if he just realized something. He pointed to his hair. "I tried to do something with my hair but it just keeps sticking back up. Sorry!"

Bulma's eyes widened. Some ill-contained giggles could be heard from the crowd. She spoke back at him through clenched teeth, "That's alright, Goku… how bout you just focus, huh?"

"Yeah okay!" Just then Goku's attention moved to the end of the aisle, where Chichi had finally appeared arm in arm with her father, Ox King. The bridal march began and she glided down the aisle serenely. She captivated the entire room but mostly Goku.

Just seeing her friend, Bulma could already feel tears welling up in her eyes. If she was like this now she knew she'd be done for once they actually started.

Chichi reached the altar and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. The minister began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

Bulma glanced at the faces in the crowd. She could see that she wasn't the only one feeling emotional. She spotted their boss, Roshi openly weeping. Piccolo patted him on the back, consoling him but mostly trying to keep him quiet. She wondered if Roshi was actually moved by the ceremony or if he was just sad a hot ticket like Chichi was officially off the market. That kind of thinking wasn't beyond him.

"Chichi," the minister said, "do you take Goku to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

She answered breathlessly, "I do."

"And Goku, do you take Chichi to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

"Yup!" he said beaming, making the crowd chuckle. "I mean, I do."

"May we have the rings?"

Krillin and Bulma both stepped forward and handed them off.

"Repeat after me," the minister said first to Chichi, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," she echoed.

"Now you, Goku."

Bulma's eyes briefly met Vegeta's. Her face suddenly felt hot so she looked away, afraid that she'd started blushing.

"With this ring, I thee wed," recited Goku.

The minister happily chimed back in, "Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride!"

The audience erupted into cheers and applause as Goku pulled Chichi in for a kiss. At this point Bulma stopped fighting her tears, happily letting them fall. Goku lifted Chichi and spun her around. They then turned away from the altar and ran down the aisle as the crowd happily threw flower petals at them.

The crowd moved to one of Capsule Corp's parlors for the reception. Goku and Chichi were seated in a loveseat with their own special table for dinner. Chichi playfully fed her husband. Every now and then someone would clink their wine glass and the lovers would oblige with a kiss. Bulma sat next to her father who was chatting with Chichi's dad.

"Thanks again for letting us borrow Capsule Corp, Briefs!" The much larger man patted Mr. Briefs on the back. He almost spat up his food.

He recovered quickly. "We were glad to do it, Ox. Chichi and Goku are practically part of the family."

Bulma scoped the room. The band had started playing and people were cheerfully dancing. She was pleased to see that everyone was having a good time. It was then that she noticed Vegeta, heading toward the exit. She followed him.

The hallway outside the parlor was lined with chairs that had been placed there in case extras were needed. Vegeta sat in one and leaned back with his head on the wall behind. Bulma poked her head out to look at him. She wondered what he was thinking about.

The sound of heels clicking down the hall made Vegeta finally look up. When he saw Bulma standing there alone, he returned to his former position. There was silence between them.

Bulma finally spoke up, "You look pretty good in your monkey suit."

He didn't respond. Bulma moved closer, sitting in the chair beside him. "It was really beautiful, wasn't it?" Bulma continued, "Seeing them together like that?"

"We see them together almost every day," Vegeta scoffed. "What's the difference?"

Bulma sighed, "I guess your right but I just thought they looked extra lovely today."

Seeing the wistful look in her eye, Vegeta stood. He started to walk back into the reception when Bulma's voice stopped him.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta" the twinge of melancholy in her voice made him want to turn but he stayed put.

She stood and went on, "I'm not sure when or how it happened but I…I guess I fell in love with you. I assumed you would feel something for me too so I probably pushed you into situations that maybe you weren't quite comfortable with. Somewhere in my heart I thought maybe I could teach you to love me—I know, it's silly—I see now that that was a mistake…you can't force someone into something like that, so I'm truly sorry."

Vegeta still hadn't budged. Bulma's heart fell a little but she knew this was for the best. "I promise I'll leave you alone from now on, okay? I swear. Hopefully, one day we can be friends but for now you can live your life Bulma-free."

Bulma sighed. Having said what she needed to say, she could return to the parlor. As she walked past Vegeta, he grabbed her wrist making her jump. She looked at him. To her surprise the corner of his lip had curled to form his signature smirk.

"Don't tell me what to do, woman," he said, pulling Bulma to him. Before she could say a word he brought his lips to hers. Bulma felt like her heart was exploding. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and returning the kiss.

"Bulma, hurry! They're gonna—oh oops…" Launch stumbled upon the scene. She came to tell Bulma that Chichi was about to throw the bouquet.

Bulma pulled away from Vegeta. She was pleased that he hadn't abruptly ended their kiss just because someone had seen them. He was still smirking at her. She smiled back, answering Launch.

"We're coming." Bulma took his hand and led him back into the parlor.

Vegeta sat nearby as Bulma joined the women who had collected to catch the bouquet. The ladies all hooted, begging Chichi to throw the flowers in their direction. Bulma stood toward the back with Eighteen. Neither of them was as aggressive as the others. This kind of thing wasn't really Eighteen's style. Bulma was just happy Vegeta had kissed her. She was worried she'd scare him away if she caught the bouquet.

"Are you ready?" Chichi asked the crowd. They cheered in reply and she turned her back to them. "Here I go!"

Chichi bent her knees, swinging her arm up and releasing the bouquet into the air. It launched through the air, past the arms of the women jumping for it. Chichi had a stronger throwing arm than they thought. Bulma's eyes followed it as it flew above her head. The whole group turned to run after it but stopped when they saw where it landed.

Vegeta was still sitting in his chair, his face incredulous. He reached up into his flame of hair and pulled out the bouquet. He couldn't stop the faint red that appeared on his cheeks. The women applauded, running over to congratulate him. Vegeta simply sat their looking sour, unsure how to react. Once the women cleared away Bulma came into his view. She'd been standing back, watching the whole time. She covered her face to smother her giggles.

Chichi slapped his back. "You know if you want, you can borrow my dress."

That made Bulma lose it. She burst out laughing.

"Yes alright, have your laugh," Vegeta said rolling his eyes. "I'm sure it's very amusing."

Bulma sat on his lap, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't be such a sourpuss. It's just a silly superstition."

Chichi's jaw fell. She was surprised to see the two being so cozy. She started to say something but Goku appeared right on cue to whisk her away.

The crowd gathered outside as Chichi and Goku got into a white car which, of course, sported the phrase "JUST MARRIED" on the back window. They waved as everyone blew them kisses and cheered to send them off to their honeymoon. The lovers would be spending all of spring break in Tahiti (a wedding gift from Chichi's father).

* * *

Bulma woke from her peaceful slumber. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, fear crept into her belly. Was this real life? If memory served her correctly, after watching Goku and Chichi drive off, Vegeta had accompanied her back to her room. Closing her eyes, she could see and feel it so vividly: his arms around her, his masculine scent, and his surprisingly gentle lips making contact with various spots on her body. It felt too real to be a dream…

Cautiously she reached behind her, hoping to feel him there. Her hand slid across the sheets. She gasped as her hand landed on a hard surface. With her heart beating quickly she turned to see Vegeta lying beside her. _It wasn't a dream! _Hesitantly, she reached out to touch him again.

"Ah!" she gave a surprised yelp as Vegeta snatched her hand before it could touch him.

"Is it company policy to rudely awaken your guests?" his tone was more playful than she'd ever heard it. She stared at him in awe.

"Have you gone mute? Ha, I've left you speechless. Well, well, I'm better than I thought I was," he said haughtily as he rested his hands behind his head. His arrogance was quickly smothered, literally, by Bulma who pressed her pillow to his face. Vegeta only wriggled for a second before flipping her over onto her back.

She threw the pillow aside, placing her hands on his now uncovered face. "I can't believe you're here."

Vegeta bridged the gap between their lips with an intimate kiss. Bulma felt like she was melting into him. When he separated his mouth from hers, she yearned for its return.

He looked down at her, his eyes searching hers. "You said before that you…" Vegeta grappled with himself to get out the next word. It was one he'd never said before.

Bulma spared him the struggle. "That I love you. I meant it."

"Yeah well, perhaps I also…I may be feeling…"

Bulma couldn't help but smile. He was trying so hard. People had told Bulma they loved her before but watching this seemed to mean so much more. It was a personal sacrifice on Vegeta's part—a giving up of a part of himself. She didn't need to hear the words. This was enough.

She kissed him passionately with every ounce of affection she felt. He returned it and the two of them drifted off into ecstasy together.

* * *

WOO! There it is. All finished! And it only took me….about 2 years… I hope this chapter wasn't too long and that you've enjoyed the ride. Please review!

P.S. If you don't get the entrance code joke, try typing it into a calculator


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